


Ocean Song

by captaincoffeegirl515



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Queen (Band)
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Selkie!Ben, Singer is a POS in this, but Ben is gonna be naked a lot in this, i have no idea what to rate this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:12:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23217550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaincoffeegirl515/pseuds/captaincoffeegirl515
Summary: Joe’s mother used to tell him that love comes in all shapes and sizes. Well, his came in the form of a stubborn, trouble-making, headache-inducing, fish-stealing, absolutely adorable selkie.
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Joe Mazzello, Brian May/Roger Taylor, John Deacon/Freddie Mercury, Lucy Boynton/Rami Malek
Comments: 56
Kudos: 71





	1. You Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Nadia! I know it’s been months since I said I’d do this, and I’m still writing, I swear! Gonna post the first chapter before fucking off for another few months… but hey now that it’s out, I will be forced to finish it! Which I will… someday…

Rami poked his head through the open doorway looking somewhere between amused and exasperated and Joe did _not_ want to know why his best friend had that look on his face. He usually saved it for _one_ particular problem.

“Hey Joe, looks like you’ve got a visitor.” 

“Please don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.” Joe groaned. _I should never have fed that little bastard when it first showed up!_

“See for yourself.” He just smiled.

They both went to the back of their small fishing vessel _The Bohemian Rhapsody_ where their latest catch hung a few feet above the deck. Lucy was already there, phone in hand, ready to record their mischievous new friend. Rami pointed up at the net full of fish hanging above the floor. At first it seemed like nothing was amiss, but then a glint of gold between the silver masses was all Joe needed to see and he let out a sigh of defeat. 

“Again?!” 

They loosened the ties on the net, spilling fish across the deck. After a moment, a smug, blond head popped out from under the pile of sardines.

Joe stared down at the troublemaker. “You again.”

Unlike the other adult seals, this one had bright yellow-gold fur and intelligent green eyes. It was like one of those shiny pokemon his nephews and nieces always loved to tell him about. It was special! It was unique! It was one of a kind!

_It was the most headache-inducing animal Joe had ever encountered in his life!_

“This is the _sixth_ time you’ve done this and I have had it! You can't just keep stealing my fish.” Joe complained, wagging a finger at it, as if that would make it easier to understand him. Instead, it seemed to do the opposite as the seal slowly started inching its face closer towards another fish.

“No, you cannot eat my fish.” Joe warned. “No. Absolutely not!”

The seal held a sardine lightly between its teeth - 

“Don't you dare take that bite! Don’t you dare! No!” 

\- and gobbled it right up.

Joe threw his hands in the air. “Unbelievable!” 

He started going after the seal, which took this as its cue to run - err, flop away - while still snapping up fish on the go. 

“You little shit!” Joe yelled. “Get back here! This is _my_ fish. Mine!”

In the back of his mind, Joe realized they were just running in circles around the pile of fish. Rami was no help at all, choosing to watch from the sidelines and cackle at his best friend's misfortune. Lucy was fighting back tears as she continued to video the whole ordeal. But that wasn’t going to stop him. He’ll just have to move faster. He’ll put an end to the fish thievery if it was the last thing he did.

“You know what? That’s it! Out of the boat!” 

He tried waving his hands in a shoo-ing motion in an attempt to scare the seal off, only to have the seal repeat his gesture back at him. _The sheer audacity._

“You! Out! Right now! Oh my god. NO MORE FISH!”

As Joe made yet another turn, he misjudged how fast he was going and accidentally stepped on a fish. His mostly average surefootedness failed him and he slipped and fell flat on his back. Taking advantage of the situation, the seal quickly came over and flopped on top of Joe, easily pinning him down with its weight.

“Rami, help me!” Joe yelled at his best friend, only to pout when his reply was the man falling to his knees, clutching his stomach in laughter. 

“I thought you were my friend!” He added. 

“Aww but can’t you see? He loves you!” Rami cooed in between giggles as the seal started poking its nose all over Joe's face. “Look at all the kisses he's giving you!” 

After a minute of watching Joe struggle to push the seal off of him, Lucy finally took pity on her friend. She pocketed her phone then bent down to pick up a few choices of fish from the deck. 

“Watch and learn, boys!”

She knelt down a few feet away from Joe and held her arm out, dangling a sardine in front of the seal's face. Its eyes went wide and it quickly snapped the fish from her hand. As it swallowed down the fish, Lucy pulled out another one and held it just a little bit farther this time. Another bite, another fish farther and farther away, until she held it right in front of her, out of the seal’s reach. The seal craned its neck out then whined when it was too far. She laughed and swung the fish enticingly. “Well come on, love! You want a fish?” 

It grunted softly, staring intensely at the sardine in her hand, then nodded. Slowly, it took one flipper off of Joe and placed it on the deck. It came closer but watched her warily, stopping every few seconds as if expecting her to suddenly attack. Both men held their breaths as well, not daring to move in case it spooked the seal.

The seal took the fish gently between its teeth and nibbled on it a bit, carefully watching her for any reactions. Lucy, ever the clever one, made sure to keep moving slowly in front of the seal. As she fed it another fish, she began to pet the seal gently with her other hand. At first, it flinched, unused to human touch, but after a moment it realized she truly meant no harm and started pushing its nose to her hand. The seal trilled happily and nuzzled closer, eager to get more pets, making her smile brightly. 

“Oh look at you!” She fawned over the seal. “You're such a darling sweetheart, aren't you!” 

Internally, Joe agreed wholeheartedly. _I mean look at that! It’s adorable!_ But he would never admit it out loud, least of all to the seal. The praise would go straight to its ego.

“Oh he looks cute now.” He decided to grumble instead. “Then you turn around and he's stealing your fish again!”

\-----

“You know, we should probably name him.” Lucy said to them as they docked, the three of them working together seamlessly to tie their boat securely next to the pier.

“Name who?” Rami asked. 

Lucy gestured at the seal still on the boat, happily resting after having eaten its fill of fish.

“I guess we could.” Joe shrugged. “But how do we know he's a ‘he’ anyway? For all we know, we’ve been misgendering ‘her’ this whole time!”

Rami snorted.

“Yes I know he’s a ‘he’, Joe. I did all sorts of research after the third time he showed up! He’s actually a harp seal and he’s also got some chromatic abnormality. I’m guessing it’s a form of xanthochroism because of the yellow-gold fur instead of the usual silver-grey.” She replied excitedly as she tied off the excess rope.

“That’s my girl.” Rami smiled at her in adoration.

“I didn’t understand half of what you just said, but what would we even name him anyways?” Joe asked her.

“It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a short, simple name would do.”

“Okay…” Joe wracked his brain, trying to think of a good name. “What about Tim? Short for Timothy.”

“That makes him sound so old. He’s not a dinosaur, Joe!”

“That's rich, coming from someone who loves museums!”

“Maybe because museums are incredible places where you can learn a lot and you can name him after cool things like Ahkmenrah!”

“They have dinosaurs in museums! Also, that's an Egyptian pharaoh's name, isn't it?”

He sighed and nodded. “Yes.”

“So, it's a no from me.”

“Paul sounds like a nice name.” Lucy ventured, trying to distract them from their bickering.

Rami recoiled in horror, startling the seal and making it jump. “Ew! We are NOT naming him after Freddie’s evil ex!”

“Anything but THAT!” Joe shuddered.

“Of course we aren't naming him Paul! I only said it to get your attention.”

They ducked their heads, embarrassed.

Lucy smirked at the pair. “I was actually thinking about calling him Billy. Sounds like something a cheeky little thief would be called.”

The seal tilted its head, seemingly mulling it over.

“Huh.” Rami thought out loud as he noticed the seal’s reaction. “I think we’re close, but he’s not exactly feeling it.”

Joe studied the seal who was now watching them curiously. “What about Ben?” He asked the seal.

He perked up and barked softly. It seemed he liked the name.

Lucy grinned. “Ben, it is!”

“Yay! Group hug!” Joe cheered, enveloping the couple in a warm hug.

“Glad to see you three are having fun.” A mellow voice spoke up from the dock and they turned to see Brian watching them with a warm smile on his face. Accompanying him was his husband and resident biologist, Roger. Together, they ran the local wildlife rescue center.

“Hi Brian! Hi Roger!” They all greeted them excitedly.

“Where'd all the fish go?” Roger joked as he inspected their latest catch. It was ever-so-slightly smaller than usual again thanks to a little thieving seal. “That wily bugger bested you lot again?” 

“Not us! Just Joe.” Rami countered back easily. 

“Hey!” 

“Well, that ‘wily bugger’ has a name now.” Lucy couldn’t contain herself. She wanted to spread the news to anyone who would listen. “We’re calling him Ben.”

Brian gazed at them all with pride. “That’s a lovely name. I’m glad you three are on better terms with this rapscallion.”

“How are Freddie and John?” Rami asked the two men. Ever since they heard of the dramatic love story between the florist and the mechanic, they’ve been eager to hear more about the couple that had just moved into town a few weeks ago. 

Roger laughed.

“Just the usual. Freddie wants them to take up salsa lessons while Deaky is being his cantankerous, shy self, and absolutely refuses to go!” He linked an arm around his husband’s. “I've tried asking Bri here to join us too, but at this rate I'll be dancing with Freddie.”

“You won't go dancing with your husband?” Lucy teased.

He balked and looked down shyly. “I reckon I shouldn’t. I've got two left feet and I’m a terrible dancer. I'll only be a nuisance on the floor.” 

Roger gasped in offense. “Never! You'll never be a nuisance. Not to me at least!” 

Brian smiled softly down at the other man and couldn’t help pressing a small kiss over his forehead, making the three 'awww' at the action.

“I'm actually surprised Deaky isn't joining them.” Brian confessed. “You should have seen him when we brought them to the disco! Tore the house down and out-danced everyone!” 

“Hey, guys! Who’s that?” Joe asked suddenly when he noticed someone that had been strolling down the dock and introducing himself to every fisher he came across.

“Christ. Here comes that wanker again.” Brian muttered to himself before excusing himself and striding off to meet the visitor halfway. 

“Brian hates his guts.” Roger whispered to them as Brian spoke in angry hushed tones at the other man. 

Rami blinked in surprise. “I didn't think it was possible for him to hate anyone.”

“Pfft! All he needed was five minutes of talking to him. The guy’s an utter arse.”

“Just five?” Joe gaped. 

Roger huffed. “And Bri was being generous, too! I wanted to deck ‘im. Ooh just the way he talks makes my skin crawl! Promise me you won’t give that Ben up for anything? Not for all the money he’ll bribe you with?”

“Of course! But why would he want anything to do with Ben?” Lucy asked, wondering why they would be worried for the seal. Beside her, Joe and Rami shared the same look of confusion.

“He’s looking for exotic pets.” He spat. “Something nice and shiny to spruce up his mansion. Ben looks quite fancy so that git might try and buy him.”

They watched as Brian finish his tirade then quickly leave without so much as a nod goodbye. Roger started. “I should be getting back too. Take care of yourselves!” 

He turned to go but then did an immediate about-face. “Oh! Wait, I just remembered why we came up here in the first place! There’s going to be an oil tanker passing by in a day or two. We’ve already protested it but,” he sighed deeply, “the government _really_ wants that oil.”

Rami grimaced. _Greedy pricks!_ He cursed internally. There had already been an increasing number of large ships that had run aground nearby in recent years. This was another accident just waiting to happen.

Within seconds, jovial, wisecracking Roger was replaced with the expensively dressed newcomer who looked at everything with calculating eyes, as if he was trying to guess how much each item cost.

“Morning everyone! Name’s Bryan Singer. I’m quite famous where I’m from, so you may have heard of me.” He said in an oily, sleazy voice as his eyes trailed up and down Rami’s figure appreciatively. 

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Joe snarked dismissively as he stepped between the two men. He detested the way the guy looked at his best friend, and when he heard Rami softly sigh in relief, he knew he did the right thing. “What do you want?”

“Eager fellow, aren’t you?” Singer replied, unfazed by Joe’s antagonistic stance. “Well, I’m in the business of collecting special and exotic animals for a private zoo of my own, and I’ve been personally looking around for these gorgeous creatures. Normally I’d also ask you three, but I can see you already have one.” He pointed to something behind them and they turned to see Ben glaring daggers at the man.

“What a beauty!” The man remarked. “How much for him?”

“He’s not for sale.” Lucy said coolly.

“Anything’s for sale if you give the right price.”

“Not this one.”

“I mean with that kind of coloring, he can go for at least a hundred grand. Maybe even half mil if one’s willing, which I am.”

Joe’s jaw dropped. Rami’s eyes bugged out. _Half a million dollars?!_ That was more than all three of them combined could make in a decade!

Only Lucy didn’t dare react at the huge amount of money he was able to throw away just like that. Instead she fixed him with a stormy gaze. “So you can treat him like some trophy pet, pump him full of sedatives, and show him off to all your other rich friends? Not a chance!”

“I can assure you, he’ll be well cared for.”

“Oh really?” She scoffed. She didn’t believe a single word that came out of the man's mouth.

“Of course!” He pulled out his phone and started fiddling with it and scrolling down an endless supply of pictures. He muttered to himself before perking up and stopping at one. He held out his phone and showed them a picture of a rare pure white liger. 

“One of my latest additions! Cost me almost two million dollars!” He boasted.

Lucy gasped in horror when she saw the tiny barred cage the liger had been holed up in. It looked barely bigger than the animal itself. In a corner, there was a basin for water but nothing else to eat from or sleep on, and hay sparsely littered the concrete floor. Beside her, neither Rami nor Joe could understand how someone could house any animal in such terrible conditions

“Dude, I’m not even an animal expert,” Rami spoke up in a steely voice that barely hid his growing anger, “but I’m pretty sure an animal that big needs more than an 8 by 12 foot cage.”

“Oh no. They’re very happy with this.” He insisted to the trio. “Once you stop thinking of them as people and think of them as the animals they are, you'll understand that these enclosures are perfect for them.”

Singer started showing them picture after picture of rare and exotic animals trapped in bare cells and Joe had to fight to tamp down his growing nausea.

When he finished, the businessman looked plaintively at them. “I just want to show the world how beautiful nature can be.”

“By taking them from their natural habitats - their homes - and locking them up in small cages?” Lucy yelled, appalled.

“As I’ve said before, their enclosures are more than enough to keep them happy. You’re anthropomorphising these animals too much.” Singer replied in a condescending tone. “Now, if you won’t show him to me or name a price, I’ll just have to take a look myself!”

He pushed them aside and started making his way towards Ben, ignoring their protests.

“Hey! I said stay away from him!” Joe warned again.

The seal, upon noticing his approach, shrank back. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to run. This was _not_ a good human.

Singer bent down and tried to pet him as the seal dodged his attempts. “Come on now! Be a good boy for me.”

Ben growled at him before quickly diving off the boat and into the water. Good thing too, because the trio were very close to becoming violent. 

“Well that’s a shame.” He sighed then straightened back up. As he walked past them, he shook his head in mock disappointment. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Rami grit his teeth. “Like we said, we’re not interested and he’s not for sale.”

\-----

“Now that guy was a real piece of shit.” Rami spat out, thoroughly disgusted at the pictures Singer had shown them. “No wonder Bri and Rog hate him.”

Joe wholeheartedly agreed. “Ben could steal my fish every day for the rest of my life and I still wouldn’t hate him enough to hand him over to that asshole.”

“God, and all those poor animals! Locked up like that.” Lucy shuddered and Rami wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as she huddled nearer, seeking comfort.

The redhead stretched his arms out overhead, trying to relax his overworked muscles. “Ugh. Well, I'm in need of some relaxing entertainment after that asshole ruined my day.”

“You heading to the cove again?” Lucy asked.

He turned and started walking backwards with his arms spread wide at the no-brainer of a question, and smirked at the couple. “Where else would I go?”

“But I thought you hated seals!” Rami held up in mock-surprise. He always loved ribbing the redhead about all the times he’s complained about them.

“Only when they’re stealing my fish!”

Rami snickered. “Ben loves the cove, dumbass!”

\-----

As he reached his favorite hidden spot by the cove, Joe realized he wasn't alone. There was another man already there, probably also watching the seals that loved to frolic in the waters below. His golden-blond hair glinted in the sunlight reminding Joe of Ben, and he wondered what kind of trouble the seal was getting into now. _At least he swam off and isn't stuck in a cage for that rich asshole._

The man was sitting down facing the sea and seemed lost in thought since he hadn't noticed Joe’s arrival. He was also shirtless, which gave Joe a nice view of his back.

Joe cleared his throat so the man would know he was there but he hadn't expected him to spring to his feet, clearly frightened, then immediately relax with an "oh it's you".

Which was weird because he was sure he'd never seen the blond before. Joe had a split-second to wonder why he said that before his eyes slid downwards and his thoughts quickly turned into _oh my god he isn’t wearing anything at all!_ Joe shrieked and slapped both hands over his face to cover his eyes. The man was completely naked. _Why is he naked?!_ He peeked through the gaps between his fingertips. Maybe this guy finally got some sense and turned back around or covered himself. 

Nope. Still naked and unafraid. 

_That’s a nice dick though._

The blond's head tilted to the side, confused. “What's a dick?” 

_Shit._ Joe froze. “I said that out loud?” 

“Yes you did. So what is it?”

Joe was convinced the man was mocking him. _I mean honestly, how can he not know what it is? Typical Brit. Always making fun of us Americans._

“It’s nothing!” He answered hurriedly. “Anyways, I have questions too! Like, why are you naked?”

The blond shrugged, and Joe had to try very hard not to stare at his rippling muscles. “Why wouldn’t I be? It's not the first time I’ve been naked.”

His answer made Joe sigh and stare heavenward. _Alright. New tactic._

Keeping his face looking up and away from the handsome stranger, Joe asked. “Okay then. Do you have a name at least?”

The man perked up. “Yes, I do! It’s-” He made a garbled noise that sounded halfway between a roar and a burp before his mouth snapped shut as if he had surprised himself. 

“Oh right. I can't make the sounds with this mouth.” He reminded himself softly. He stood there thinking with scrunched eyebrows and pursed lips for a moment then brightened up again. “These nice humans call me Ben though! You can still call me that!”

 _Nice humans?_ Joe thought. _This guy must be tripping real bad._

“Oh really?” He said. Because what else could you say to that? The whole conversation was derailing again. Also, wasn’t it just his luck that the blond guy had the same name as the blond seal? _Why does everything have to remind me of that damn animal?!_

“They did!” Ben puffed his chest proudly. “I mean, surely you’d know. You were there. You named me, Joe!” He gazed dolefully at Joe with wide green eyes.

 _I did?!_ Joe was definitely sure if he’d been there naming a man with the body and face of a Greek god he’d remember it. Although he did wonder how the hell Ben knew his name since he didn’t remember introducing himself to the blond. He clapped his hands awkwardly. He needed to end this conversation pronto. “Huh. Well, Ben, that must’ve been real eventful! But, hey,” he tapped his bare wrist, “look at the time! I should be going!” 

And finally remembering what he needed to tell the blond in the first place, he added. “Also, you need to put some pants on. There are kids nearby and sometimes they like to come out here and watch the seals, too. So if you could just take your naked hot abs- I mean self! Naked self. Away! So you don’t scare any kids. Or traumatize them with your dic- FACE! Okay? Okay!”

The moment he finished, an extremely red-faced Joe immediately turned tail and scurried back up the trail before Ben could even think of an answer, and was out of sight in moments.

\-----

Joe startled awake to the sound of his phone ringing, it’s shrill tone cutting through the room. He checked the time groggily. 3:27 AM. _Who the fuck would be calling at this time?_ He thought a bit grumpy at being up so early. _This better be important._

“Whaaa?” He slurred.

 _“Hey Joe.”_ It was Rami. _“I know it’s really early but I just got the news from Bri, and it’s pretty bad.”_

That woke him up like a shot of caffeine to his veins. “What’s wrong? Are they alright?”

_“They’re fine. It’s the harbor that’s in trouble. Remember the oil tanker Rog was telling us about? It ran aground. Oil spilled. It’s too dark to see now, but they said the entire place is gonna be covered in it.”_

“Shit. That’s… Shit.” Joe was at a loss for words. _All the wildlife that’ll be affected. All the fish. All the-_ “The cove!” He yelled.

Rami sucked in a breath when he realized the same thing. _The seals. Ben._

_“We’re on our way.”_


	2. He's a Selkie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joe, Rami, and Lucy face a steep learning curve when they realize that just because Ben can also be a man, it doesn't mean that he would behave like one.

Joe changed in record time, and was out of the house in minutes. He sprinted down one of the well-worn elephant trails leading to the cove. Like Rami said, it was too dark to see anything, but he’d gone through the trail so many times he could easily remember every rock and bend in the path.

Surprisingly, there were already a few people there, the lamps on their heads being the only sources of light in the darkness. They went around scooping oil into pails or wrapping up rescued animals that had been caught in the deluge. Volunteers, they said. Coming over to help after hearing from Brian and Roger about the oil spill. One of them even had an extra headlamp to lend him so that he could also help out to pass the time.

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when they could finally see the full aftermath. Rami and Lucy arrived not long after and they were left staring in shock and horror at the state of the cove. Everything was covered in pitch black sludge that made it difficult to even tell where the shore ended and the sea began. 

As the day drew on, more and more people came along and spread out across the cove, along the shoreline, and stretching past the dock. The three spent the next several hours like that, cleaning what they could and loading oil-covered seals and gulls into a truck bed that would bring them to the rescue center. Luckily, they were all quite early and the living far outnumbered the dead, but it wasn’t uncommon to see a teary-eyed volunteer carrying a motionless bundle towards another truck specifically for them.

It was only when Joe overheard two volunteers talking about the areas they’d already gone through, that he realized there was one tiny spot a bit further beyond the cove that nobody - except Joe and apparently that one random naked man - goes to, and together they decided to check there for more survivors, and hopefully, one specific golden harp seal. 

It was so quiet now, it made Joe feel unnerved. Normally, it would be bursting with life as seagulls squawked amongst each other and seals barked and argued for space to sunbathe. Now they could barely even hear the waves lapping against the large rocks that hid this particular spot from prying eyes.

Rami gasped. There was something moving in the water, trying to climb over the rocks to safety. When he realized what it was, he only managed to croak out ‘a seal’ before running over and carefully making his way over the slippery terrain with Joe and Lucy right on his heels.

Luckily for them, the seal didn’t run away and only watched their approach with large baleful eyes, as if it knew they were here to help.

It was covered nose to tail in oil but Joe could recognize those eyes anywhere. “It’s Ben!” 

He impulsively made his way down the rocks to get to him, all the while talking in a slow soothing voice so he wouldn’t scare the seal away. But as Joe crouched down in the ankle-deep water, he wondered how he was going to get him out. They were only about six feet lower than Rami and Lucy but he had to admit he wasn’t strong enough to carry a whole adult harp seal that was just as big as he was. And even if the three of them lifted him together, the place was so slippery it was unlikely that they’d manage to get him onto the ledge.

Growing impatient with them, Ben decided to take matters into his own hands - technically, his own flippers.

He started nipping at his chest and Joe tried to grab at him with slick hands in an attempt to pull Ben’s head back, worried that he would ingest more of the oil. But what happened next seemed to defy all logic. They all watched, awestruck as the seal started to change form. Starting from the chest, the fur split in half right down the middle. The fur of his head fell back like a hood, and out came a pale, golden haired man that was immediately covered in oil and bogged down. On the ledge, Rami yelped when Lucy gasped and began slapping his shoulder in her excitement.

“Oh my god! Rami, he’s a selkie!” 

The man - selkie - grabbed hold of his fur and scrambled up the ledge. Or, rather, he tried to. He must have thought he'd be able to get a better hold of the rocks with arms and legs. Instead he continued to slip around and ended up getting himself covered in more and more oil.

After a minute, Joe's mind finally caught up to what was happening and he gasped in outrage when he recognized the man. “You!” he yelled.  _ How did I not connect the dots before?! _ Ben had the audacity to simply look up at him with wide eyes with his head tilted slightly in confusion. “That was you? That naked weirdo was you?! You're a seal?! Man? Seal-man!?”

“A selkie!” Lucy reminded him.

Ben huffed. “Yes, that was me. Now, if you don't mind, I'm still drowning in this… whatever this is, so could you set aside your little mental breakdown and help me out here?” The selkie deadpanned smoothly, breaking Joe's slightly hysterical thoughts of  _ oh wow and he's hot too. The seal - man -  _ **_selkie_ ** _ \- is fucking HOT. _

“Oi! What’s that bloke doing in the water?” A volunteer yelled as he came over, making Ben shrink back fearfully. 

Rami and Joe gaped like fishes struggling to breathe, unsure of how to explain, until Lucy - sweet Lucy, the angel in disguise - answered for them. “This man needs help! He told us he was having an early morning swim while it was still dark so he didn’t see the oil. And now, he’s been stuck here for  _ hours  _ so we need to get him out of here and cleaned up. Do you happen to have any towels on you?”

After getting the selkie out of the water and wrapped in a towel the volunteer left them with, they still needed to figure out where to take him and get the oil washed off. 

“Well, my place is the closest so it should be the best choice.” Joe suggested.

When Rami and Lucy nodded their agreement, the redhead led the way while the couple flanked Ben on either side, supporting him as he walked on wobbly legs.

“Oh! Fancy meeting you three again!”

Joe nearly swore. It was Singer again! He stepped in front of Ben, trying to block the selkie from view. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, what else would I be doing, love? Saving the animals!”

Rami scoffed at his overly fake-cheerful tone.

“By the way, you three haven’t, by any chance, seen that golden seal around, have you?”

They all tensed. Joe silently thanked the fact that the pelt was completely covered in oil so that it looked like any other piece of cloth. 

Lucy snapped. “What do you think? Of course we haven't found him!”

Singer raised his hands in surrender. “Calm down, lady! Is it the time of the month right now?”

_ Nobody talks to my girlfriend like that! _ Rami was beginning to lose his patience with the businessman. “Piss off! Look, if you haven’t noticed, we’re busy at the moment.”

“Oh yes, I can see that.”

Ben looked up to see Singer leering at him, and he shrank back when the man smirked and licked his lips hungrily. 

When Lucy kept glaring at him, and Rami and Joe started tensing up, ready to fight, Singer decided to back away and continue on his path, but not before voicing out his disappointment. “Such a shame about the seal. You could’ve made a fortune out of him.”

It was only when he disappeared from view that they could relax.

“I don’t like him.” Ben shivered. Due to the cold or to fear, they weren’t sure. “When he looks at me, I feel like I’m prey”.

“Ben, listen to me alright?” Lucy did her best to soothe the selkie. “We’re going to help you. You can trust us! You’re gonna be just fine. We won’t let him hurt you.”

\-----

The trio learned very quickly that saving Ben from the oil spill was the easy part. Now they were confronted with a nosy, uncooperative, skittish man that acted very, very much like a seal.

He refused to allow anyone to touch his pelt and literally growled when Rami accidentally brushed against it. He hit his head on the window and cracked it because he didn’t understand this human thing called ‘glass’. He touched EVERY SINGLE THING that he could get his greasy hands on, and doubly so for those objects he had never seen before. He flopped onto Joe’s couch, coating the cloth in so much oil that Joe was sure the only way he’d ever get rid of the stains was to just burn the whole damn thing. He spooked when Joe’s janky radio came on all of a sudden and he nearly broke a finger when he swatted the radio across the living room and into a wall, smashing it into a hundred little pieces. By the time they managed to wrangle Ben into the bathroom, the place looked like a greasy tornado had gone through it. 

Now, he sniffed disdainfully at the soap Joe was offering to him in the hopes that the selkie would know how to wash himself to get the oil off, while Rami raided the closet for clothes that would possibly fit Ben’s broader frame. Of course, Ben refused to touch the soap or rub it on himself so they were forced to wash the selkie instead.

Lucy had already excused herself, stating that it was awkward for her to be washing another man - selkie or not - and decided she’ll be cleaning up the mess Ben left behind while the two men got stuck trying to figure out how to fit all three of them into the shower.

It took them a while to convince him on the merits of a bath, but they finally had a docile Ben. And as Rami and Joe thoroughly scrubbed his arms and legs, the selkie decided that  _ that _ moment was the best time to ask a question he had been wondering about for days. 

“What's a dick?” 

Both men froze awkwardly, and Joe cringed. He immediately realized why Ben had chosen that topic and he internally cursed his blabbermouth. 

“Um, so why…” Rami haltingly started. “What makes you ask that?” 

He shrugged. “Well, back when Joe first saw me in my human form, he said that I had a nice dick.”

“Is that so?” 

Rami gave Joe a look that clearly said ‘why the hell would you say something like that?!’, and for a few tense moments, the two men were locked in a glaring contest as to who would have to explain the whole embarrassing thing. Then Rami blinked and huffed while Joe let out a sigh of relief.

Rami opened and closed his mouth a few times, reminding the selkie of a gasping fish. “Well you see,” he settled on slowly saying, “when two people love each other very, very much-” 

Joe snorted. “Ram, I swear to god, if you're going to give him ‘the talk’-” 

“I wasn't going to give him ‘the talk’!” 

“Then what was that?!” Joe mocked Rami's ridiculous intro. “WhEn twO pEOple LoVe eACh Oth-” 

“Is  _ anyone _ going to tell me what it is?” Ben huffed, interrupting their bickering. 

Joe winced then sighed deeply, pointing to the body part in question. It was, embarrassingly, at eye-level since he had to kneel down to wash the selkie's muscular thigh. 

“That. That's what a dick is.” 

“Oh.” Ben frowned. “I don't see what's so nice about it. It's wrinkly and squishy. And after you left, it got all red and started-”

“WE DON'T NEED TO HEAR THAT!” A mortified Joe interrupted, making him jump. 

They spent the rest of the bath in complete silence, neither man knowing what to say after that. Until, unfortunately, they finished scrubbing every inch of the selkie except for one particular spot. As they all stared quietly at it, Rami piped up. 

“So… who’s gonna wash his dick?”

\-----

“This is the WORST day of my life!” Joe hollered.

“Not my fault you can’t win at rock, paper, scissors.”

Ben looked down curiously. “Oh, it’s doing the pointing-up thing again.”

“WHY DID YOU HAVE TO MENTION IT?!”

\-----

“I hate it.” Ben took off the pants and threw it back on the bed.

“Ben, please.” Joe begged.  _ I swear to god, you're too hot. If I have to keep seeing you naked, I’m gonna explode. _

“No no no! Just look at it! It’s horrible!” His voice pitched up higher the more outraged he got. “It’s tight, and constricting, and it just goes everywhere! My whole legs are gone!”

“Yes. That’s what pants are for.” Rami deadpanned.

Joe gasped with the sudden revelation. “Oh my god, seals don’t have object permanence.”

“A what?!”

“Um, ‘object permanence’. Like, I just want you to know that even though you can’t see your legs, they are still there and attached to you.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed in indignation. “What kind of idiot do you think I am? Of course I know my legs are still here. Even pups would know that!”

“Oh my god, all seals have object permanence.” Joe corrected.

Rami tried to reason with the selkie instead.  _ You know, like a normal person. _ “Look Ben, if you’re going to be stuck as a human for a while, you can’t just go walking around naked all the time.”

“And why not?!”

Before Rami could think of a reply, Lucy stepped between them and threw something at the selkie’s face. Ben spluttered, unable to make out a complaint while trying to figure out what she had thrown at him.

“It’s called a skirt.”

\-----

“Hey, Luce.” Joe gulped from where he was seated on his just-cleaned sofa. He watched Ben happily explore around the living room while Rami patiently explained what each object was.  _ He’d be a great father one day, there’s no doubt about it. _ Ben was clad in Joe’s favorite sweater and the short skirt that the redhead bought last year because he had wanted to cross-dress that Halloween. He looked stunning in the outfit and Joe had to resist the urge to groan every time the selkie bent over to look at something. He wasn’t even wearing any underwear! “Did you really have to put him in that?”

“Why? Enjoying the view?”

Joe flushed, and when she winked knowingly at him, his face turned the same shade as his hair. “That obvious?” Maybe he needed to put a pillow over his lap, too. Just in case.

She threw her head back as she laughed at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell. And we can go buy loose sweatpants for him later.”

_ Oh thank god! _ He sighed in relief, but before he could respond, he suddenly had a lapful of warm, happy selkie. Ben straddled his lap and rested his arms on Joe’s shoulders. Their faces were only inches away.

“Joe, I’m hungry! When can we eat?”

He stuttered, not knowing what to say or do as his mind short-circuited.

“Why is your face all red?” Ben frowned when he felt something strange underneath him and he shifted his weight back and forth to try and figure out what it was. Joe fought to stifle a moan when the selkie pressed harder over his raging erection.

The blond looked down at Joe’s lap “What’s this-”

“IT’S NOTHING!” He screamed in panic as he shoved Ben to the side, which only made things worse when his skirt hiked up and Joe had an eyeful of Ben laying on his back, legs spread wide, dick in full view, and staring up at him with wide, green eyes.

Tearing his eyes away from the mouth-watering sight, Joe booked it to his porch for some fresh air, while Rami and Lucy comforted the confused selkie.

When he returned, Lucy was giving an increasingly unnerved Ben a detailed explanation on the mechanics of sex, sexual organs, and consent, since Rami chickened out and went to the kitchen to look for food.  _ Well, now I know who’ll be giving their kids ‘the talk’ when they’re old enough. _ Joe mused.

Rami came out of the kitchen and held up a raw fish that he found. He was supposed to be preparing it for dinner. “Hey guys, I found this.”

“Yay! Fish!” Ben clapped his hands together excitedly and quickly bounded over to take a bite.

“Wait!” The three screamed.

But it was too late. Ben already grabbed the fish head-first with his teeth and craned his neck back to swallow it whole.

The next few moments went by in a blur when Ben started choking on the fish, and Joe nearly broke the sound barrier in his rush to get behind him and do the Heimlich. 

\-----

Ben sat on the couch with his arms crossed and his face set in an angry pout. The fish he choked on had been deemed unsalvageable after the whole debacle and Lucy banned him from entering the kitchen while she and Rami searched through Joe’s cupboards for  _ something else  _ that was edible. Joe was left to deal with the selkie.

“Hey, I know you’re upset-”

“Upset? Why would I be upset?” His voice rose to new shrilly heights. “I just spent a whole day stuck in that horrible, smelly, slippery sludge, met that creepy human again, took a ‘bath’, had to wear the most constricting thing I’ve ever experienced, and to top it all off, I can’t eat fish anymore because apparently, it’s ‘raw’ and has ‘germs’ and ‘humans can’t eat fish like that’!”

Joe winced. “Well, when you put it that way…” but then he brightened up when he had a brilliant idea.

“Wait here! I need to make a call.”

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Joe left the couch to collect and pay for his order. 

The selkie perked up when he noticed the smell wafting through the living room.

“Oh! I smell fish!”

“Yep!” Joe laughed as he placed the box down on the low table and opened it. “I got us some anchovy pizza!”

“It’s fish? Why is it a flat circle?” Ben tilted his head left and right, trying to make sense of the strange new item.

He awkwardly scratched his head. “Um, I’m not really sure. They just make it that way, I guess.”

“But can I eat it?”

Lucy smiled fondly at him. “Yes, Ben.” 

“Yay!” He trilled happily and reached for the pizza.

“Careful, it’s hot.” Joe warned.

“What is ‘hot’?” He asked innocently as he grabbed the pizza. Except he didn’t grab it like any normal person would grab a pizza. No, he grabbed it the way someone would grab a handful of sand, mushing up the pizza into a gooey ball and covering his hand in steaming, melted cheese. Joe had never felt so offended in his life. Then Ben yelped in pain and jumped away from the table, shaking his slightly burned hand wildly, and splattering cheese and anchovies everywhere.

“Ow! Joe, help! It’s attacking me!”

As Joe and Lucy hurried to save the panicky selkie and place his hand under a running tap to ease the burning pain, Rami sighed heavily and rubbed his face. “This is going to be a  _ very _ long night.”

\-----

It took him a few days, but Ben was beginning to understand human life. In between volunteer work around the shorelines, Joe would show him movies or read to him. It seemed Ben was fascinated by stories, and loved to cuddle up to him during the scary parts. Thankfully, Joe was able to have more control over his libido so he stopped having to run off every time the selkie leaned on him for comfort.

But now, he had a new problem. And it had everything to do with the still-oil-caked seal fur.

After several rings, Rami finally picked up. “What the hell, Joe?”

“I need your help.”

He sighed heavily. “If this has anything to do with the words ‘morning’ and ‘wood’, I’m gonna kill you.”

“Nope! He already had that problem yesterday, and I dealt with it like a  _ champ _ !”

“Oh god. You jerked him off?!”

“No! Jesus-Christ-on-a-cross NO! I just told him what it is and, you know, it’s normal and it just be like that sometimes.” 

After a beat he added. “And then I taught him how to jerk  _ himself  _ off.”

Even over the phone, Joe could hear the other man frantically rubbing his face in frustration. 

“I think I’m having an aneurysm.”

“Look. I’m calling because Ben’s not feeling so good right now and he’s upset that his fur is still a mess so we need to get it cleaned too. So yeah, he’s sick. But I don’t know who to call?”

“What do you want me to say? The Ghostbusters?”

“Rams!” Joe whined. “I’m being serious! Does he need to go to a human doctor or an animal doctor?”

“I don’t think animals are licensed to be doctors, Joe.”

“Why are you so mean to me? I thought I was your friend!”

“You woke me up at two AM. I have a right to be annoyed.”

“It’s two AM right now?”

“Yes!” He let out an exasperated breath. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“Sleep? Who needs that?”

“ _ Joe. _ ”

“Fine. Yes, I’ll go to bed soon. But I still don’t know what kind of doctor to get because he  _ is  _ a man but he’s  _ also  _ a seal. So...” He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Ugh, I don’t know. It’s too early to think.”

“Goddammit Joe!” A higher-pitched voice yelled. Apparently, Rami was on speakerphone.

Even though they were separated by the phone, Joe quailed. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of her fury. “Oh, hey Lucy! How’s the bestest, most wonderful woman in the world doing?” He greeted cheerfully in an attempt to escape her wrath.

“If it’s a problem with his seal form, then get a vet.” She growled. “Now go to sleep! Good night!” Immediately after, the call was dropped, and Joe was left in silence.

“Okay,” he said to himself quietly, “so I need to find a vet.” 

\-----

When the veterinarian arrived, he had just come from a long day rescuing gulls and seals from the beach. He actually lived in the next town over but moved into their quaint little fishing village to better help with the oil spill. He had changed before he left for Joe’s home, but there were still old grease stains on his clothes that wouldn’t wash off anymore. A reminder of how often he’d been helping with the clean up efforts. He introduced himself as Gwilym - Gwil for short - and Joe awkwardly led him to his room, where the selkie had decided to hide in. Being as uncooperative as ever, Ben had chosen to stay in his human form. This led to an obvious problem.

“I thought you said there was an oil-covered harp seal that needed a wash?”

Gwil stared at the figure lying on Joe's bed and Ben glared back without blinking. Even bundled up and nestled in at least five of Joe's blankets, he didn’t want to show any weakness towards this strange new human. Joe looked back and forth between the two of them, unsure as to who had to make the first move.

Finally, Gwil took a deep breath and turned to Joe. “This is a person.”

Joe winced. “Well,” he started, trying to find any other reason but the truth, although Ben’s current form kind of ruined that.

“This is a human being, Joe.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“And I'm a veterinarian.” He reasoned gently. 

“I know.” This was going badly. 

The vet sighed. “I treat animals, not humans.”

“Yeah, but most of the time he  _ is _ an animal. He's a seal. You know? Swimming in the sea, sunbathing on the rocks, stealing my fish.” Joe tried to nod in what he thought was an encouraging manner to the selkie who just continued to watch them unhelpfully. “Go on Ben, show him.”

Gwil pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ease his oncoming headache. “Joe,” he started again.

“I’m not crazy, Gwil!” Joe knew he had to come clean. “You want the truth? He’s a selkie. It’s like the mythology, you know? He’s usually a seal but he can turn into a human too! He just does something and his fur just comes off. It’s like taking off your jacket.”

In a last ditch effort, Joe pleaded with the selkie, hoping his eyes and voice and gestures could convey just how sincere he was. “Ben, I know you aren’t used to new humans but you have to trust me here, buddy. This is Gwilym and, like he said, he’s a vet. He takes care of animals and he can help you so much more than I ever could.”

After a few minutes of silence, Gwilym sighed again. “Joe-” 

“He's not crazy.” Ben finally spoke up. “He's not.” 

Ben turned to Joe, looking for reassurance, and the redhead nodded back encouragingly. 

After a tense moment, Ben finally started to move, standing up slowly and letting the blankets pool on the floor around his feet. He was already naked and he held his precious pelt between both hands in front of him.

The fur was rough and dry. Heavy amounts of oil still clung to it and its color seemed a bit more lackluster than the day before. Ben may have agreed to the bath but he still refused to let anyone near his pelt.

In one swift motion, he threw it back over himself to wrap around his body. Ben seemed to shrink and melt towards the ground as the two sides of his pelt joined together seamlessly, and in no time at all, an oil-covered gold-furred harp seal remained where a man previously stood.

Gwil stared, slack-jawed, at the whole process, but quickly came to his senses when Joe elbowed him and grinned. "Pretty cool huh?” 

This was also the redhead's first time seeing this other transformation, but he wasn't about to tell Gwil that. 

The vet knelt down to be at the same level with Ben, and after quietly asking for permission, started checking his vitals and narrating each of his actions and tests to the curious selkie.

Later, after being told his vitals were surprisingly stable and given a warm bath to remove the oil, Gwil bid them goodbye and promised to return the next day for another check up.


	3. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben learns that humans aren’t all that he’s been raised to believe. They’re complicated beings, and no two are the same. Within them you could find great kindness... 
> 
> Or great evil.

A week and a half after the spill, Joe managed to coax the selkie into coming out to join him, Rami, and Lucy with the ongoing clean-up efforts around the beach. The number of volunteers had dwindled as of late, and Brian was worried that the place would never be free from the oil.

Ben still refused to put on some underwear, but at the very least he accepted the baggy sweatpants. His pelt was carefully hidden, wrapped around his torso under his shirt.

_ He really does NOT like anything tight on him. _ Joe thought to himself, recalling how much the selkie complained about the first pair of pants he had been given. He could only imagine what the looks on everyone’s faces would be if he’d shown up wearing that skirt.

After saying their hellos to the other volunteers, they led Ben down to the shoreline where he was faced with the devastating aftermath of the spill. Even after almost two weeks of non-stop, grueling work, the place was still rolling in black sludge.

All of a sudden, Ben froze then started looking around wildly. Before they could ask him what was wrong, he took off, sprinting away from their group.

“Ben, wait!” Joe called, racing after him. “What’s going on?”

Without looking back, he yelled. “I know that call!”

“What call?”

“Another selkie!” He made a sharp turn and started heading up the shore towards a small grove. The three of them struggled to keep up. For someone who had just learned to run a few days ago, he was really fast.

Now that he was closer, Joe could hear soft, melodic whistle-chirps coming from the area. Ben responded with whistling sounds of his own, and before they knew it, a tiny, oil-blackened lump flopped its way out from under some leaves and was immediately scooped up in the blond’s arms.

“Oh, she’s just a pup.” He whispered sadly. “She was separated from her mother when they swam into the oil.” 

“You poor thing.” Lucy cooed, softly petting the seal pup’s head.

“Can we bring her back to your house, Joe? Take care of her like what you did with me?” Ben gazed at him with doleful eyes, the pup in his arms mirroring his expression.

Faced with two pairs of doe eyes, Joe was at a loss on how to answer him. Before he could though, a number of volunteers had already taken notice of their little group and came up to investigate.

“Oh my goodness!” Someone gasped. It was Freddie, the florist who had just moved in about a month ago. He placed a towel over the pup’s shivering form. “Darling, we need to get you to the center right this instant!”

“What center?” Still distrustful of humans, Ben held her closer, unwilling to part with his fellow selkie.

Noticing how the blond was reacting, Freddie opted for a calmer route. He spoke to Ben in a soft tone - the same one he used for his cats. “It’s alright, darling. The center is where we take all the sick and injured animals. It’s a safe place where they can rest and eat until they’re healthy enough to be set free again.”

“They’ll wash all this oil off of her?” He asked, his worry subsiding little by little. It was also helped by the fact that Joe stayed relaxed around the man, and was nodding encouragingly at him to listen.

“Of course! And they’ll feed her so much fish, she’ll get so fat that she’ll need to bounce to get anywhere!”

This pulled a laugh out of the selkie, and he finally agreed to be led to the truck holding the rest of the oil-covered animals.

“Love of my life!” Freddie called out dramatically. “Darling! Look what I’ve found!”

From the driver’s side of the truck came a man with the strangest hair Ben had ever seen in his life. It was like he had a big, dark brown cloud sitting on his head, and the selkie was itching to pat it and see if it was as fluffy as it looked. 

Seeing Freddie with his arms around the blond, the man joked. “You’ve found yourself a new man? So soon?”

He gasped, affronted at the accusation. “Deaky! What kind of husband do you take me for?”

The man, now known as Deaky, shook his head and smiled as his husband carefully plucked the seal pup from Ben’s arms and presented her with his usual flair for the dramatics.

“I’m calling her Delilah.” Freddie announced, before bringing her around to the back with the rest of the rescues. 

“Will you tell me how her recovery goes?” Ben asked, watching with worried eyes as Freddie loaded Delilah onto the truck and playfully scolded two other seals, Goliath and Oscar, for hogging up all the space and squishing Lily.

Deaky’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at him. “I will.”

\-----

At the end of the day, they returned home tired and covered in oil. Joe wanted nothing more than to take a good, hot shower, and to get some well-deserved shut-eye. But he had one big problem and it was standing right in front of him.  _ This is going to be awkward. _

“Hey, buddy, you wanna go first? Get all that nasty stuff off?”

Ben shook his head stubbornly. “I want you to wash me again. And perhaps this time, we could- we could bathe each other instead?”

Joe’s mind went straight to the gutter with that, and he flushed bright red. “I dunno, Ben. It’s kinda-”

“We do that a lot as seals!” He hurried to explain. “Well, not exactly bathing - considering we’re always wet - but we groom each other. And… I like it when you wash me.” 

“You do??”

“Why wouldn’t I? Your touch feels good.” Point made, he grabbed Joe’s hand and eagerly dragged the spluttering man up to the bathroom. 

“Goddammit Ben, you can’t just say stuff like that!”

\-----

The next morning brought sad, gray skies, and choppy seas. Volunteers had been told to wait it out - that maybe the weather will clear up in the next few hours.

By the time half-past one rolled in, they met up as usual at the center, only to finally be unequivocally turned away from the beach.

“Roger's just confirmed the news. There’s a nasty storm coming in and it’s getting bigger by the minute.” Brian said unhappily. The strong winds churning the water into a thick froth, and the dark, thundering clouds rolling in prevented any work from being done. As if to make a point, a huge bolt of lightning crackled across the sky, making them all jump. “Perhaps the day after tomorrow?”

“Not a problem! We’ll be there, Bri.” Lucy answered for everyone while the others nodded in agreement, and he smiled, bidding them a grateful goodbye before returning inside.

After a moment, Rami started shifting from one foot to the other. “What now?” He asked.  He had gotten so used to the mind-numbing routine of ‘get up, change, breakfast, clean up the oil spill, lunch, continue cleaning, get home, shower, dinner, sleep’, that he’d always been too exhausted to make plans for anything remotely fun anymore.

Instead of listening, Joe was watching as the selkie toyed around with the wind chime hanging by the doorway. He was always delighted by how Ben studied everything with wide, innocent eyes. There was no doubt that he’d never seen any of that before.  _ It would be nice, _ he thought,  _ to show Ben around and let him try something new. _ And with the storm fast approaching and putting a halt to their clean-up duties, this could be his chance to do just that.

He took a deep breath.  _ It’s now or never. _

“Um, so Ben, I don’t suppose you’ve ever been to a cafe before, right? I mean, obviously you haven’t. You’re um- well- because if you like, I could take you to one and we could get something to drink, you know?” Joe nervously asked while trying very hard to ignore how Lucy’s grin got bigger and bigger with every word.

Ben tilted his head to the side, a soft smile on his face. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Lucy’s sudden squeal of excitement startled everyone. 

“That’s so cute!” She gushed. “You’re taking Ben on a date!”

His expression shifted into one of confusion. “What’s a date?” Ben asked as Joe panicked and waved his arms wildly, trying to explain himself.

“It’s not like that! I was just asking him out!”

“Like on a date?” Her eyes sparkled with glee.

“NO! I mean asking him to GO out.”

Now even Rami joined in. “With you? That’s so sweet!”

Seeing that he was horribly outnumbered, he threw his hands up. “You guys are the worst!”

“You still aren’t telling me what a date is.” Ben pouted, upset at being ignored. “And we’re already out!”

“Don’t worry, Joe will explain everything!” Lucy grabbed Rami’s hand and the couple ran off, giggling like children.

“I hate my life.” Joe muttered to himself, trying to buy some time to recover a bit before he had to face the impatient selkie.

“Well?”

He sighed and gestured evasively. “It’s just something people do… with someone that they... like.”

Still confused, he prompted the redhead to go on.

“Like, when one human likes another human… um, romantically… they uh, they ask the other human out on a date where they do stuff and get to know each other more. Together.”

Once he understood, Ben was so shocked that his jaw dropped open. “So you’re trying to court me!” He exclaimed. He never thought humans did that sort of thing. 

“Woah what? No! I mean yes- but no! Um. What were we talking about again?” 

“You’re trying to court me.” He answered faintly, still a bit surprised. “With this ‘date’ thing.”

Joe hung his head down and sighed in defeat. “I get it if you’re weirded out-”

“No! I’m not offended! It’s just-” his face darkened and he looked almost pained. Then the moment passed and he shook his head, waving a hand between them as if to clear the air. “I’ll explain later. You wanted to show me a cafe?”

“Oh thank god! Sorry. Yeah, I know just the place, and it’s not that far! Just a ten minute walk.”

“Lead the way.”

\-----

Made In Heaven was a quaint, cozy, little coffee shop run by the kindly Jim Hutton. It’s warm, yellow lights and soft, fluffy chairs immediately put Ben at ease. And according to Joe, the pastries were ‘to die for’. This, of course, resulted in the redhead having to spend the rest of their walk explaining idioms to the horrified selkie, after he took the phrase literally.

“Here we go.” Joe placed the order tray on their table and handed out the glasses. “One mint chocolate frappe for you, and one salted caramel mochaccino for me! I learned my lesson after the pizza accident, so I got us cold drinks instead, and some cream puffs.”

It was strange how easy it was to talk to Ben. They both lived very different lives, yet there were so many similarities they shared. Once they got past the language and cultural barriers, they discovered they even had the same brand of humor!

In between stories of their childhood, and tales of the ridiculous antics the redhead used to drag Rami into during their college days, Joe wondered what the blond had been trying to say before. He seemed so upset about whatever it was. But as much as he wanted to just blurt it out and ask him, Joe didn’t want to pressure him into anything. Ben would tell him when he was ready.

And not a moment too soon.

“To be honest,” the selkie murmured out of the blue, “the reason I was surprised when you asked me to go with you on this date was because I never knew humans had courtship rituals. Since I was a pup, the elders in my herd would tell us stories about the humans.”

“Good things, I hope?”

He winced. “Not really. We were always warned to stay away from humans, that they were greedy tricksters with hearts of stone. They would seduce unwitting selkies so they could steal our pelts and carry us off - far away inland, never to be seen again.”

“Wow.” Joe had no idea what to say. “That sounds horrible!”

“It’s my worst nightmare! I can’t imagine never seeing the sea again.”

“I’m not questioning the validity of those stories but does that really happen?”

Ben nodded gravely. “Many times, especially in the past. Not so much now, since we’ve learned to avoid humans and we're careful never to shift forms in front of them at all costs.”

“Then why do you keep coming back to my boat? And why’d you take your pelt off in front of us?” Joe pointed out, confused.

“You’re different.”

“Wh- How??”

“No matter how many times I’ve stolen your fish, you’ve never hurt me. Yes, you shouted and complained but you never outright attacked me like all the other fishermen did. And I’ve seen you at the cove too! Many times, you even bring some of your fish to give us. You’re kind, and gentle, and you  _ saved  _ me.”

“Rami and Lucy helped too. Even Gwil.” He stammered.

“That’s true. Yet I find myself wanting only you.”

Joe was once again rendered speechless. Ben’s earnest green eyes seemed to gaze right through his soul.

A loud crack of lightning and thunder shook the walls and jolted them from their trance, making them jump apart. Without realizing it, they had gotten so close. Joe blushed.  _ If it wasn’t for that, I think I would’ve kissed him then and there. _

They had been so caught up in conversation, they'd lost track of everything going on around them. Before they knew it, the storm was in full swing.

Neither of them had an umbrella, but they didn’t mind getting soaked to the bone. The pair laughed and played, taking turns chasing each other back to Joe’s cottage.

And, if Joe ended up teaching Ben to dance, and they spent the next half-hour waltzing underneath the heavy rainfall, nobody needed to know.

\-----

It’s 3AM and there was something moving inside his room. It was too dark to make out anything, but Joe was sure of it.

When he felt a weight settle on the bed near his feet, he tensed up.  _ What the fuck is that?! _ A number of increasingly terrifying thoughts swirled around in his head as the weight shifted closer and started pulling at his blanket. A hand suddenly grabbed his leg with a quiet, ‘Joe?’, which sent him shooting out of bed with a strangled yell.

“Are you- stop screaming, it’s just me. Are you awake? Oh, wait, of course you are awake - you’re screaming. You have a funny scream. It sounds like a seagull.” 

Joe desperately tried to calm his racing heart. “Jesus Christ Ben, what-” 

“I need your help! I can’t seem to sleep. I’ve tried everything! I’ve been lying still for hours but _nothing_ happens. My eyes won’t stay closed and my heart is beating fast and I feel so jittery. I don’t know what to do!” 

Ben is talking a mile a minute when it clicks, and Joe slams both his hands on his face. “Oh my god I forgot about caffeine!”

“Caffeine? What’s that?”

“It’s,” he moaned tiredly, “part of our drinks in the cafe. Keeps you awake.”

“Why would you put something like that in our drinks?” 

“Ugh, I’m not awake enough to deal with this. It’s a human thing. We like caffeine.” Joe lifted his blanket up and pulled the blond under. “Come here.”

Even as he lay inches away, Ben continued to frown. “And how are you not awake? You had the drink too!” 

“I’m used to it, so it doesn’t really affect me.”

“That’s not fair!”

Joe snickered. After a moment, his sleep-deprived brain decided,  _ to hell with it _ , and he threw an arm and a leg over the blond, closing the gap between them.

Ben thanked the stars that it was still too dark to see anything. His face felt like it had caught on fire. They were too close and Joe had his limbs wrapped around him, trapping him on the bed. He ought to feel trapped.  _ So why do I feel so safe? _

Moments later, Joe was asleep, unaware of the strange feelings churning in the selkie’s mind. Ben, on the other hand, stayed awake until the sun came up, listening to the redhead breathe and basking in his warmth.

\-----

One particularly painful afternoon, every single one of the animals discovered were dead. Morale was low, and everyone seemed to be in different stages of grief. Looking up from his mourning, Joe noticed that a certain someone was missing. Rounding up Rami, Lucy, and their new buddy Gwil, they anxiously set off to see where their sea-dwelling friend ran off to this time. 

They didn’t expect to find Ben in a small spot of land under the docks, bawling hysterically over the body of a large seal. He was shaking it and pleading with it to no avail. As they drew nearer, they were able to make out a grief-stricken ‘mother, please wake up’ that immediately stopped them in their tracks.

“His mother?” Lucy whispered in a horrified voice. In moments, she was in tears, with the three men not far behind.

None of them had the heart to bring up that incident with Ben, but Joe noticed how the selkie clung tighter to him on the way home. How he refused to sleep alone in the guest room any longer. How he crawled into Joe’s bed and curled up tight, seeking refuge in the redhead’s arms.

Gwil worried about the selkie’s mental state and initially wanted to have him stay back in Joe’s cottage and recuperate from his trauma. Surprisingly, it only strengthened Ben’s resolve to come out and help more.

He worked tirelessly to clear away the oil, coming in earlier and staying later than any other volunteer. Every morning, without fail, he would already be fully dressed, pouncing on Joe to wake him up so they could be on their way to the center. 

Later, he started working side-by-side with Gwil, Brian and Roger in the center after the selkie demanded to stay with the seals, and they found out just how good he was with the animals. He could calm down even the most aggressive rescues during their treatments, and he kept them from snapping at the vets who were only doing their best to bring them back to full health. He was a wonderful teacher, helping the seals relearn actions like feeding and swimming. He was also the only person who was able to touch them freely. The seals flocked to him like sea turtles to the moon. More often than not, a veterinarian would find him naked - save for a golden-blond fur pelt wrapped around his waist - in the nursing pool, speaking softly to the juveniles or holding a crying pup, and singing to them in a strange language nobody ever heard of. 

Although, once Freddie caught wind of the impromptu song fests, he insisted on joining Ben in the water and would regale them with songs about ogre battles, dragon attacks, and the seven seas of Rhye, while his husband was out in the shorelines helping with the spill or transporting sick animals to the center.

Delilah was an instant hit with the locals, especially with Freddie. Turns out, she had an unusual tortoiseshell-and-white patterned coat which delighted him to no end. Many times, he would be sitting in the seal pools with Ben, and the pup cuddled close on his lap. “Delilah,” he would sing, to Roger’s consternation, “Delilah, oh my, oh my, oh my, you’re irresistible!”

John could only shake his head fondly. “I swear, that seal could get away with murder.”

Still, it shocked everyone at the center - except Joe, Rami, Lucy, and Gwil - that Ben had a knack for communicating with the seals. One vet even dubbed him ‘the seal whisperer’.

“My mother was the matriarch of our herd. She-” Ben swallowed hard as he explained to the four of them why he was so insistent on being with the seals. “She perished in the oil spill, and since I have no female siblings or a female mate to take her place, it falls to me to keep the herd - or what's left of it - safe.” 

\-----

Roger pulled Joe aside one day and demanded. “Where on earth did you find this guy? He’s incredible!”

He held back a wince. He’d been hoping to continue keeping Ben’s secret on the down low, but the selkie didn’t seem to have the same qualms. The redhead still remembered the time when a vet had asked Ben where he lived and he truthfully replied with ‘the ocean’.  _ So much for keeping humans from finding out. _

But he knew Roger was a good man. Even now, he took his silence in stride “If it’s something personal, it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”

“It’s not that.” Joe sighed, mind made up. “Ben does have a huge secret, but it cannot get out. Understand?” 

It was obvious this wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. Still, he nodded. “I know how secrets work, lad.” 

“Okay, good. We should get Brian too. He deserves to know.”

\-----

He led them to the nursing pools where he knew Ben would be. Unbeknownst to the people working in the center, the selkie would frolic in his seal form, only shifting back when he knew he was alone. There were so many unusually colored seals at the center, the overworked vets couldn’t be bothered to keep track of yet another brightly patterned coat. 

Among a group of silver-gray and brown pups swam one golden-blond, adult harp seal.

“You found him!” Roger gasped happily. Then he rounded on Joe. “When was this? And why didn’t you tell me? I was worried sick!” 

The golden seal approached them, looking confusedly between Joe and the two older men. When he was close enough, Brian knelt down and offered a hand for him to sniff. 

“Hello there. If I recall correctly, your name is Ben?” Brian smiled gently, not expecting an answer. 

Joe nodded at the seal. “It’s alright. You can trust them with your secret.” 

The seal took one long look back at him, before starting to nip at the fur on its chest.

Their questioning looks turned in ones of shock when the seal’s skin peeled open and a man stepped out. A man they both recognized.

Ben smiled cheekily at the couple. “Yes, that would be me.”

\-----

The selkie sighed happily, leaning his head back as Joe shampooed his hair. After this, it would be his turn to return the favor. A few times, he had thought about taking it in another direction. After all, Joe said he wanted to court him. But the man also said he wanted to take things slow, and Ben would never pressure him to do anything he didn’t want. 

“You’re so gentle. Rami was too, but I like your hands better!”

Joe shook his head, smiling softly at the candid confession. “You still up for a movie tonight? I got another Disney movie I think you might like.”

“No lions dying?”

That pulled a laugh out of him. “Nope. No deer dying either.” 

Ben was strangely silent as the redhead started up The Little Mermaid. He didn't even talk when Joe paused to movie to get them some popcorn to snack on. It was only when the end credits started to roll did he speak up. “I pity her. Now she is trapped on dry land.”

“She’s not trapped, Ben. She chose to stay because she loved him and he loved her.”

“Man’s love is a lie.” He scoffed. 

Joe tried very hard not to feel hurt. “What makes you say that?”

Ben shrugged, feeling conflicted. All his life he’s seen the number of atrocities men have committed, not just to selkies, but to every living creature in the sea and even to each other. Yet in just a little over a month, he’s gotten to know so many kind, decent human beings that went against everything he’d been taught to believe.

“What’s eating you, bud?”

“Killer whales. Sometimes, sharks.” He answered, a bit confused about the change of topic.

“I really should’ve seen that coming.” Joe groaned. “I meant to ask, what are you thinking about.”

Another shrug. “It would’ve been easier if you all were the horrible monsters I grew up hearing about. The great, stone-hearted liars who only tricked selkies, to trap them on dry land forever. But you’ve shown me just how kind and wonderful humans can be. And not just you - Rami, Lucy, Gwil and so many other people in this village - you’ve all forever changed how I see mankind.”

Ben hugged his pelt close. “Do you… do you know why I won’t let anyone touch my pelt?”

“Um, well I did some reading a while back. Not sure if it’s true but it says you basically become the selkie’s... owner?”

He nodded sadly. “If you held this, you could give me any order you want and I would have no choice but to follow it. I couldn’t resist no matter how hard I tried.”

Joe shuddered. That sounded horrifying.

“Ben, I promise you with all my heart. I would  _ never  _ trap you like that. You’re going to live happy and free for the rest of your life, even if it meant I’d never see you again.”

“But that’s the worst part!” He collapsed to the side and rested his head against Joe’s chest, listening to the steady drumbeat of his heart. “I don’t want to lose sight of you.”

Without thinking, Joe started combing his fingers through the blond’s hair.

“Do you want to hear a secret?” Ben whispered. “It’s strange, but I don’t think I would mind living inland so much, if it was with you.”

\-----

As always, good things must come to an end. Nearly two months after the spill, trouble returned to the small fishing village in the form of one greedy businessman.

“I’m sorry sir but visitors aren't allowed back there.” 

“Don’t you know who I am?” He snapped. “I’m Bryan fucking Singer! I’m allowed anywhere!” 

He shoved the frightened intern aside and continued his search, the sounds of excited seals drawing him in. After a few minutes, the hallway he was walking through opened up to a large pool area. A sign beside the entrance told him that this was the nursery pool. Once through, his eyes were drawn to a young blond man standing in the knee-deep area of the pool and surrounded by young seals. He wore nothing except for a yellow-gold fur cloth that was wrapped around his waist, hiding his manhood from view. Bryan watched with predatory eyes as the blond sang to them in a foreign tongue.

Ben looked up the moment he noticed the person at the door never greeted him like the vets and cleaners usually did, and his eyes hardened when he recognized who it was. Singer, on the other hand, grinned knowing he finally had the blond’s attention.

“My, my, what do we have here?” Singer licked his lips and openly leered at Ben, who had gone to stand protectively in front of the seals. 

“You need to leave. This pool is off limits to visitors.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head. I have a permit to be here. I’m Bryan Singer.” He waved a hand as if he was simply clearing the air. His eyes kept hungrily trailing up and down the blond’s form, making Ben feel self-conscious and vulnerable. “And who might you be, you little minx?”

“You don’t deserve to know my name.” Ben growled. He stomped over, trying to intimidate the man into leaving.

Instead of being cowed, his eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh! Now I remember you! Your eyes are quite memorable. We met near the cove back when that oil spill happened.”

Still talking, he stalked forward, forcing Ben to start taking steps back in an effort to stay away. “Made some new friends that day, didn’t you? You clean up very nicely, if I do say so myself.”

Trying to hide his growing fear at being slowly backed into a corner, Ben snarled in the man’s face. “I’m not going to repeat myself again. Leave now.”

“But I’ve only just got here.” Singer pouted. “And you can’t expect me to leave now that I’ve seen this.” He claimed, gesturing at Ben, which confused the selkie.  _ Is this another weird human thing? _ He asked himself.

Taking advantage of his confusion, the man murmured to himself. “Fuck, I wonder what’s under this.” He reached towards the pelt and Ben angrily slapped his hand away. 

The blond bared his teeth at him. “Don't touch my pelt.” 

“Ooh, feisty.” Singer grinned, not deterred one bit. “I like the ones with some fire in them. Makes it feel better when they break.” 

He surged forward, pushing Ben into the wall with a violent kiss while shoving a hand under the selkie’s pelt to grope him at the same time. Ben choked on the tongue that was forced into his mouth and the dual assault made him panic. He tried to cross his legs and push away the hand on his privates, but it only served to make Singer’s grip tighten enough to make him whimper in pain. 

Ben managed to wrench his head to the side, and he gasped for breath. “Stop this! Please!”

A sob bubbled its way out of his mouth when Singer pressed closer and the selkie could feel something solid and warm against his thigh. He didn’t want this. Not with  _ him _ .

He was a lot stronger than he looked, too. No matter how hard Ben shoved against the man’s shoulders, he couldn’t get free. He couldn’t back away either since he was already pinned against the wall behind him. There was no escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first attempt at a cliffhanger!
> 
> It took me the longest time to write this chapter, mostly because I wanted their love story to develop more naturally. Did it work?
> 
> Tell me what parts you liked!


	4. You're Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryan Singer is a man who knows what he wants. And what he wants, he gets. No matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooo boy! A million apologies for the long wait and thank you all for being so patient with me!
> 
> As always, comments are greatly appreciated. Tell me what you think!

Ben struggled helplessly as his mind started to shut down against the attack. Singer wasn’t stopping or slowing down. In fact, he only seemed to grow bolder, with his other hand snaking back to grab the selkie’s ass and dig his fingers into his skin. Two digits forcefully pushed inside him, making Ben cry out in pain. “No! Please stop! I don’t want this! Please!”

Singer nuzzled his neck in a hollow imitation of intimacy. “Mmm, so tight. Now be a good boy and turn around for me.”

“Never!” Ben pushed back harder, nearly knocking the man off balance. But instead of a reprieve, his head snapped to the side when Singer lashed out angrily. His cheek stung. 

He shoved the blond back against the wall and grabbed Ben’s hips, hiking up the pelt to get it out of the way. He fisted the fur in his hands. “I said behave and turn the fuck around!”

The selkie felt himself grow numb in shock as the magic did its work. It was like he had been thrown into an ice cold bath in his human form. Wordlessly, he did as he was told.

“See?” Singer exclaimed, maneuvering the selkie into position. He ground his crotch against Ben’s ass and groaned in anticipation. “Wasn’t so hard now, was it?” 

Feeling possessive, he reached around Ben to hold the selkie’s jaw in a vise-like grip and leaned in close to whisper into his ear. “You’re mine now. Understand? You belong to me.”

The words knocked the air out of his lungs. Magic stronger than Ben could fight against kept him still and obedient. Already resigning himself to his fate, he squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for what was to come. 

Suddenly, Singer shouted in pain. A small tri-colored seal had managed to crawl over and sink her teeth into the man’s ankle. She growled and slapped her belly in an aggressive display.

“Fucking bitch!” He jerked his leg left and right to dislodge her. Delilah squealed in pain when he kicked her solidly in the head and she quickly backed away from them. 

But it was enough. Thanks to her distraction, the hold on his pelt was gone and the spell was broken. Ben could turn around to look beyond Singer and see his terrified pups barking wildly. A few were already huddled up in the far side of the pool, whimpering in fear. And that was all he needed. These were  _ his _ pups.  _ His _ herd. No human was going to harm them while he still lived and breathed. Ben was filled with a new-found rage, and he roared at Singer. 

“Don’t you hurt  _ my pups _ , you monster!” He finally found the strength to push Singer off of him. Fueled by anger and adrenaline, Ben threw a punch at his jaw with such force that he managed to knock the man to the ground. 

As Singer lay dazed on the concrete floor, help finally arrived in the form of Brian, Roger, Gwil, and a few other vets, led by the same shaking intern that he had first pushed past. The seals had been causing such a commotion that they could be heard from the other side of the center. Brian took one look at the way Ben seemed to curl inwards with both hands hovering defensively over his pelt and his nether regions, and came to a worrying conclusion that curdled the contents in his stomach.

“Get him out of here!” Brian spat. His eyes blazed with a fury that scared even Roger, who had never seen his husband look so angry before.

As two vets pulled Singer to his feet and Brian escorted him out, Roger and Gwil made a bee-line for Ben.

They were stopped in their tracks when Ben flinched and backed away from them, going so far as to bare his teeth and start growling when they came too close. Only when the older man raised his hands to show that he meant no harm, did the selkie start to relax. Noticing this change in demeanor, Roger also bent lower to appear less threatening. He spoke to the selkie in calm, soothing tones, and after several minutes of coaxing, Ben finally allowed the men to come near.

He was shaking from head to toe.

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you? What happened?” Gwil asked as he laid both hands on Ben’s shoulder and worriedly checked him for injuries. The blond’s lips seemed somewhat swollen, and his left cheek was bright red, like he’d been slapped. It made his blood boil, knowing that his friend was hurt.

“I’m fine.” He answered curtly, voice sharp and waspish. “But he kicked one of my pups.” 

Ignoring everyone else, Ben marched off and knelt down in front of said pup, a female ringed seal they had named Delilah, and rubbed her head soothingly. She whistled and chirped softly back at him in a way that made him sigh in relief. He turned to look at them. “She says she's doing alright. The pain only lasted a few seconds.”

Gwil wasn’t fooled by the selkie’s change of topic, and tried to press for answers. “That’s good to know, but are you-”

“I said I’m fine!” He snapped and flinched away from them, hugging himself tightly in an attempt to stop the tremors.

“Son, I know you said you’re fine,” Roger tried to speak gently against the growing sense of dread filling his chest, “but you’re shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Did he do something or say something to you?”

They watched Ben struggle to find the right words until he just sighed deeply. “I- I can’t. It’s still too fresh in my mind.”

“Alright.” The older man relented and glared at the others to keep their mouths shut. “I’m not going to force you to tell us anything, but if you need an open ear, Brian and I - and all your friends too - are here for you.”

Ben nodded gratefully.

“Is there anything we can do to help? Anything you need?”

“I want Joe.”

\-----

When they arrived at the beach, it didn’t take long for the selkie to find and launch himself at Joe, who stumbled back a few steps but quickly recovered and wrapped the selkie in a tight hug. Immediately, Ben burst into tears and buried his face into Joe’s shoulder. 

Joe looked to Roger and Gwil for answers. One moment, he’d been arguing with Allen on the best way to load an injured elephant seal onto the truck bed, and in the next moment, he had his arms full. Someone hurt his selkie, and he was going to make them pay.

“What’s going on?” Already, his outburst drew in a small crowd with Deaky in the lead. The mechanic took one look at the crying selkie then turned his hardened gaze to Roger. “Alright. Who do I need to kill?”

Freddie came over and rubbed Ben’s back soothingly. “Darling, your shaking.”

“Well? What happened?” Joe demanded impatiently.

The two shared a glance and Gwil sighed heavily. His body seemed to shrink down as though he’d been burdened with a tremendous weight. “We aren’t exactly sure how nor the details, but a man named Bryan Singer got into the kennels and attacked Ben.”

That drew a hush among the group as they processed the news. Even with his unusual methods and peculiar behavior, Ben was quite popular with the volunteers. Nobody could understand why anyone would want to hurt such a sweet and kind person.

“I  _ knew  _ that guy was shady!” Someone hissed at their companion, who nodded gravely in response. Angry murmurs started picking up but were quickly silenced by Roger when he noticed how it intensified the selkie’s tremors.

It took all of Joe’s self-control not to go ballistic and hunt Singer down. It was bad enough back when he leered at Rami and Ben, or when he insulted Lucy, or when he showed them all those horrifying photos of all those poor animals. But right now, Ben needed him. And they needed to get away from this crowd.

“Hey, buddy?” He gently squeezed his boyfriend’s tighter. “Let’s head home, yeah?” 

Ben nodded into his shoulder, so Joe bade a quick goodbye to Roger before going.

Looking between the beach and his friends, Rami felt conflicted. As much as he also wanted to go and comfort his friend, there was still a steady influx of dead and dying animals that needed attention. He gestured at Ben and Joe’s retreating forms. “Can we?”

“Of course you can!” Roger huffed. “You’re volunteers, not slaves. You can leave any time you want.”

Still, Lucy wanted to be certain. “Are you sure? I mean, we’re all fine with staying.”

“I don’t mind at all, dear.”

“I’m coming with!” Gwil blurted, taking a few steps after the couple. Then he stopped just as quickly and turned to the older man. “I mean, if it’s alright with-”

“How many  _ bloody times _ do I have to say you’re all free to go whenever you want?!”

He jumped. “Right. Yes! Well then, I’ll be off. Sorry!” Gwil stammered, before chasing after the others.

\-----

After everyone had cleaned up and were settled in the living room, Ben opened up and recounted the events that occurred at the center.

“THAT PIECE OF SHIT!” Joe screeched. His blood boiled and his hands were curled into tight fists. It was like his bloodstream had been pumped full of pure unadulterated rage, and he shook as he tried to contain his fury. 

He stood up and started pacing back and forth in front of the selkie, muttering curses under his breath.

“I tried to push him away but he wouldn’t stop. Not even when I said no.”

Lucy looked shaken to the core. “Please tell us that was it.” She whispered.

Distressingly, Ben shook his head. “He put… put his fingers… inside. When I pushed him away, he hit me. Then he grabbed my pelt. He grabbed my pelt and told me to behave, and I couldn’t fight it! If it wasn’t for Delilah-” He broke off, hugging himself as his tremors started growing stronger again. Not knowing what to say, Rami simply leaned against him, offering himself as a steady source of comfort.

The tension in the room was broken by a loud trilling sound. Gwil jerked upright and pulled out his phone, apologizing profusely as he walked outside to take the call.

As they waited for Gwil’s return, Ben nervously eyed the still-pacing redhead. “How are  _ you  _ feeling?”

“Oh, just  _ peachy _ !” Joe answered sarcastically. “What do you think?!”

Ben’s face was the epitome of confusion. “Like...like a butt?”

“A what??”

Rami buried his head in his hands. “I knew we shouldn’t have told him about emojis.”

“No! I-” Joe groaned in frustration. “It means I’m angry, Ben! How do you think I feel? You nearly got raped! I just want to march right up to that bastard and beat him to a pulp!”

Joe paced back and forth even faster, stewing in his thoughts, until finally he had enough.

“I’m gonna kill him.” He swore, ready to march down to wherever Singer was, and finish the job.

Ben shrank down. “I’m sorry! This is my fault! I didn’t fight back hard enough and I should’ve-”

That quickly stopped Joe in his tracks. As everyone voiced out their protests, he grabbed Ben by the shoulders and tried to shake the selkie out of those guilt-ridden thoughts. “Woah woah woah, Ben this is a hundred percent not your fault! The only one who did something wrong here was him!”

“But now you’re angry because of me!”

His anger slowly dissipated when he saw how upset Ben was. Joe reined in his fury so he could gently cup the selkie’s cheeks and rubbed his thumbs over it. “I’m not angry at you, Ben. I promise. I’m angry because you were hurt and I wasn’t there to protect you.”

Ben chewed on his lip, wondering just how he managed to find such a wonderful, kind, caring human.

“Well if anything, I have some good news from Brian.” Gwil returned from his call and dropped his phone on the table. He squeezed in to sit between Lucy and Ben and threw his long legs over the selkie’s lap. “Singer’s been arrested.”

“Good! He needs to be locked up for the rest of his life!” Lucy reached over Gwil to give Ben a tight hug. From his other side, Rami did the same so that the selkie was sandwiched between the couple.

Joe shook his head fondly at them. His family just kept growing bigger and bigger. “Is there anything we can do to help you feel better, though?”

Ben thought for a moment before perking up. “Could we get some cake at Jim’s place?”

“That good?” Rami teased, a grin forming on his face.

“As I recall, the food is ‘to die for’.”

Joe guffawed. “Ohoho! Benny boy is learning!”

“Yes.” He replied smugly. “Yes, I am.”

\-----

The five of them had just finished their food when the cafe doors flew open and Freddie marched in with a scowl on his usually cheerful face. Deaky was right behind him, and he looked downright murderous.

“Guess what, lovies? Death-on-two-legs just bailed himself out! And he was  _ so  _ smug about it too! Just because he’s rich he thinks he can get away with anything! Why I oughta-” The florist devolved into a series of curses that only Rami could keep up with.

The mechanic continued where his husband left off. “Fred’s assistant, Phoebe, told us everything. He said that Singer threatened the whole station. Said he had the best lawyers, had friends in the Senate - a whole fucking monologue, really. If they didn’t let him go on bail, they’d lose their jobs! And not only that, he was swearing up and down saying he’d shut down everyone’s businesses, too!

The police chief stayed firm actually. He wasn’t swayed by baseless accusations and threats. He only let that bastard out because his higher-ups started calling in and threatening to replace him and the whole force if they didn’t let that slimy bastard go.”

“That’s not fair! He tried to rape Ben! He should be going to prison, not getting away with it!” Lucy screeched. She was furious. If it wasn’t for Rami holding her back, she’d have marched straight down to the station and given Singer a piece of her mind.

On the other end, Ben looked miserable, leaning into Joe for comfort. “Maybe I shouldn’t have fought him. Now everyone will pay the price-”

“He shouldn’t have attacked you in the first place.” Deaky replied firmly at the same time Freddie let out a horrified gasp.

“Darling, no! Deaky is right. The only one at fault here is Bryan Singer. He’s the one who did the attacking, who made the threats… everything!”

From out of nowhere, Jim appeared with tea for the married couple then slid into the gap next to Gwil to place another plate in front of Ben. 

Confused at the extra dish, he started. “Oh, we didn’t order a-”

He waved away the Welshman’s words. “This one’s on the house. Your friend looks like he could use a pick-me-up.”

Ben gratefully accepted the gift with misty eyes. It was a slice of the gold-dusted, decadent cake aptly named ‘Bijou’ that he had been eyeing earlier. “This means more than you realize.”

Soft, brown eyes met bright, green ones. He gently patted the selkie’s back a few times before heading back behind the counter.

When Ben took a bite, he couldn’t hold back a moan. It really tasted like it was made in heaven.

Chuckling at his reaction, Freddie’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “That good, darling?”

“Yes! You should try some.” He cut off another piece with his fork and held it out for Freddie to eat from.

Just like Ben, he moaned, eyes closing to savor the taste more. “Jim, dear, you’ve outdone yourself yet again. This is delicious!” He called out, making the man blush.

Ben blinked in surprise. “Oh. Are you courting Jim too?”

“Gods, no! He’s kind and handsome but I’m a married man.”

“And? Selkie’s normally mate with whomever they want. It’s not surprising to see a selkie with two mates at the same time.”

Gwil perked up. “So I have a chance with Ben!” He joked, even as he was quickly shot down by Joe, who hugged Ben tighter with a loud ‘mine’.

“If I wasn’t already married,” Freddie sighed wistfully, “I could easily see myself with Jim. I heard he likes cats too!

Deaky snorted into his tea. “I do know how to share, Fred.”

“Of course, I would never leave you for- wait what?”

“I know how to share.” He carefully put his cup down, glancing at the surprised looks around him. “Although, I suppose this topic should be better discussed between the two of us, alone.”

“Yes… I suppose so.” Freddie blinked up at his husband in amazement, as if he was seeing him again for the first time.

After a beat, Ben piped up. “I must say, this has to be the last thing I expected to happen when I came here. All I wanted was some cake!” 

That pulled a laugh out of everyone.

Freddie sighed deeply. “At the very least, he’s leaving town right now. Can you believe that shit he said though? ‘I’ll be back’.” He snorted, shaking his head at Singer’s last words before he left. 

Still, Joe couldn’t seem to relax his guard. “So what are we gonna do now? We can’t just leave Ben alone anymore. What if Singer tries to hurt him again?”

“Well, if he’s not with the seals, he’s with Joe.” Rami mused. “When he’s at the center, Gwil can easily keep an eye on him, right?”

“Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I wouldn’t?”

All of a sudden, Ben found himself getting angry.  _ How dare they make decisions for me as if I’m not even here! _ “I’m not a pup that needs protecting. I can take care of myself!” He snapped, shocking them into silence.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Ben.” Joe said, pulling the selkie closer. “I know you’re more than capable of defending yourself, but it doesn’t hurt to take some precautions. And to be honest, I’m just scared. I don’t want you getting hurt again. I’m glad you fought back against him, but now you have all of us fighting along with you too.”

His shoulders dropped and he nodded reluctantly. “I understand.”

“We’ve also got a lawyer friend, Jim Beach.” Deaky added. “He goes by Miami, and he’s just as angry as we are. He said he’s already working on a way so Singer can never step foot here again.”

“If he ever does come back,” Joe promised to himself, “he’ll have to deal with me first.”

\-----

It has been five-and-a-half months since the oil spill, and Ben was settling in nicely. The selkie was now the official spokesperson for the seals staying at the rescue center. Most of the animals were healthy and in stable conditions, ready to be released once the oil spill was fully cleaned up. While they waited, Ben would give tours to visitors and educate them on seal behaviors and the importance of reducing plastic waste. It was incredible to see how well the selkie fit in with all those people.

“Hurry Joe! The game’s about to start!” Ben taunted him from the couch. “You’re gonna miss it!”

“Am not!” The buttered popcorn Joe was making just couldn’t seem to cook fast enough. He impatiently stirred the kernels once more before placing the lid back on.

“You are!” He lowered the volume so Joe couldn’t hear the opening ceremonies still ongoing. “Oh no, they’re doing the first pitch! He’s batting!”

“NO!” Joe ran out of the kitchen in a panic and froze when he saw the screen.

He gave Ben a withering glare. “Oh hardy, har, har. Keep this up and maybe I won’t share my popcorn with you.” He pouted and went back into the kitchen, only to smile when he heard the selkie’s mournful ‘noooo’ behind him.

Nearing the stove, he could hear tiny popping sounds erupting inside the pot. His hard work was finally paying off. As he waited for the sounds to die off, Joe let his mind wander back to the selkie.

Pants had stopped being a huge issue with him, although he still very much preferred the loose sweatpants. And when he was feeling horny, Ben would strut around the house wearing nothing but that skirt to tease him, bending over any available surface to flash his bare ass at the red-faced redhead. 

But as much as Joe wanted to just fuck him there and then, he fought to control himself. He wanted their first time to be special. Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself to distract himself from the sad looks Ben would send him every time Joe made yet another excuse to leave.

Speaking of sex, they hadn’t done much more than jack off in front of each other that one time, months ago, after the blond insisted that Joe show him how to deal with his morning wood. There had been many moments where he wanted to take things further, where he wanted to taste every inch of Ben’s skin, to map out the contours of his body, to feel the blond open up under him. But he never pushed through and acted on his urges.

Joe shook himself from those thoughts. He was missing the game. The one he’d been nagging Ben to watch with him. He took the bowl of fresh popcorn with him, balancing it on his lap as he settled on the couch. Immediately, the blond curled up against him, resting his head on Joe’s shoulder. 

And grabbing handfuls of popcorn, quickly stuffing it into his mouth.

“Hey!” Joe cried in dismay. “Save some for me, ya big glutton!”

It was the DBs, Joe’s favorite underdog, versus the Bulldogs. After a tense match, they were down to the last inning with the Bulldogs leading by the tiniest margin. All three bases were occupied. Then by some miracle, the DBs last batter managed to hit a home run.

Joe leapt up, throwing his fists in the air. “We won!”

Impulsively, Ben grabbed Joe’s face with both hands and smashed their lips together in a rough kiss. It was hardly enjoyable, their teeth clacked together, and Joe was sure he had a cut on his lip based on the sudden coppery taste in his mouth, but he had never felt happier. 

_ Finally! _ Joe thought.  _ Why did I deny myself this for so long? _

The kiss turned into two, then three, then four, each kiss becoming more fervent and heated than the last. As Ben slowly leaned back down on the couch, he pulled Joe close so that they could still keep kissing without pause. Stretched out on his back, he spread his legs to make space for Joe to settle between them. Joe slipped a hand under Ben’s sweater to grope the hard muscle underneath, smiling at how the blond arched up to press against him. He drank in every gasp and moan Ben made as they ground against each other.

Unbidden, Joe’s mouth moved on its own accord. “I love you.” 

Ben’s breath hitched. There it was. The three dreaded, wonderful words that were simultaneously the best and worst thing he could hear coming from Joe. Suddenly, his clothes felt too constricting. The taste of salted butter sat heavily on his tongue. The noise from the tv drowned out the sounds of everything else. 

The realization hit him like a freight train. 

He was human now. He dressed like a human. He walked and talked like a human. He ate like a human. Everything he did now was so, so  _ human _ .

No longer selkie.

When was the last time he stayed shifted in his true form for more than a few hours? A month? Two months ago?

“Ben?” Joe pulled back when he felt Ben tense up under him, but the words were caught in his throat when he saw the pale, horrified look on the selkie’s face.

“No. No, I can’t be. I’m forgetting myself.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head in confusion. “Can’t be? Forgetting what? Ben, what are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry! I have to go!” He pushed Joe away and got up from the couch, but was held back by a hand on his arm. Joe’s eyes were pleading with the selkie, asking to help him understand.

“Talk to me, Ben.”

“I can’t.” He tore himself away, grabbed his pelt, and was out the door before Joe could stop him.

\-----

It felt like hours had passed before the shrill sound of a phone ringing broke him out of his depressive haze. It was Rami.

_ “Hey Joe, I just wanted to check on you two. Because… well, it all started when I got a call from Freddie, who heard from Jim about a certain someone passing by his cafe just this morning. And at first we didn’t want to worry Ben, but now I need to tell you because Lucy just got a call from Mary and she was in tears. She said she didn’t mean to tell him, but then he started threatening her husband who works out of state and-” _

“Just get to the fucking point!” Joe snapped. He was not in the mood for any long-winded talks.

The long pause at the other end of the line was telling.  _ “Are- are you okay, Joe? What’s going on?” _ Rami’s worried voice seemed to ring out in the near-empty room.

He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I’m fine. And I’m sorry for snapping at you. Why’d you call me, Rams?”

_ “Oh. So, um, Singer’s back and now he knows where Ben lives. Can you believe it? That fucker actually came back here after what he did. Gwil and Lucy are just as pissed as I am about it.” _

All the color drained out of Joe’s face. “What? Why the fuck did you wait until now to tell me?” He demanded.

_ “I mean, you were pretty excited about the game and Lucy didn’t want to spoil your fun. Why? Did something happen to Ben?”  _

_ Shit. _ His mind raced through a hundred different scenarios, every one of them ending just as bad as the last. “He left.”

_ “What do you mean ‘he left’?!” _

“We were making out. I told him I love him. He panicked.” Joe explained in a rush before springing up and bolting for the door. “I need to go.”

_ Please let him be safe. _


	5. Can Anyone Hear Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait guys and thank you all for your patience! This was supposed to have two parts, but I’ve been so stumped on the second part for the longest time, that I’ve decided to split it into two chapters instead. I honestly feel like this chapter is subpar considering the time between updates and that it’s shorter than the other chapters, but yeah. I hope you can still find enjoyment in this!

The cool, salty breeze was a gentle balm on his skin.

_ It’s been too long. _ Ben thought as he took in a deep breath. He sorely missed the ocean’s wide expanse, with its rolling waves and powerful currents. The saltwater pools at the center were a poor substitute for the real thing.

He ought to leave. Ought to throw his pelt over his back and dive into the blue waters where he came from, oil spill be damned. Ben removed his shirt, casually throwing it to the ground as he stared out into the ocean. He’s been here too long, stayed in this form too long. Now he was starting to feel so very human. He couldn’t stay any longer. He had to go.

But…  _ Joe _ .

He looked up to the sky, blinking furiously in a shaky attempt to keep his tears from falling.

And therein lies his biggest problem. If he wanted to turn back into a selkie, he had to stay away and never see him again. Reaching for freedom would mean leaving Joe because just the thought of interacting with the man while in his seal form and trying to act as if they had never met before, churned the contents of his stomach. He couldn’t bear to hurt Joe even more like that. He loved the man too much to even entertain the notion.

And the realization hit him like a tidal wave.  _ Love. _

_ I love you.  _ The words fell so freely from Joe’s lips, unaware of the power they held. Unaware of the difficult choice he’d thrust into Ben’s hands.

He looked down at the pelt he always carried with him. Now he needed to make a choice: either he would turn back into a seal and leave, or he’d stay with Joe on dry land as a human. Because isn’t that what it meant when a human loved you? Isn’t that what all the elders say? That humans would want to keep you with them forever, and never let you return to the sea?

_ But Joe is different. He wouldn’t do that to me, right? _ Ben shook his head, he just couldn’t - didn’t want to - risk it. What if Joe would hide- But Joe  _ wouldn’t _ ! He said so before that he’d never do that to Ben.

He groaned in frustration.  _ Why did I have to go and fall in love with a human? _ Why couldn’t Joe have been like all those other cruel men? Why did he have to show Ben that there was so much goodness in the hearts of man? Why did he have to be so funny and smart and passionate and so fucking  _ kind _ that it melted his cold selkie heart and left him yearning?

Ben sighed deeply, quietly staring out into water and how it glowed so beautifully as it reflected the light of the setting sun. He drank in the sight as if it would be the last time he’d ever see it. He nervously fiddled with his pelt as his mind fought a losing game against his heart. Decision made, he was about to turn back and return to Joe’s cottage when his pelt was ripped from his hands. Ben bared his teeth at the thief but his stomach dropped when he recognized who had stolen it.

_ Bryan Singer. _

“Ah ah ah! Stay right where you are, pretty boy!” The man warned as he held the pelt tight, and Ben froze, rooted to the spot by an unseen force. The selkie whimpered, unable to move from where he was standing. 

Singer’s face slowly broke out into a menacing grin. “So it really is true, I wasn’t imagining all that. Funny how something so small can hold so much power.” 

“Give me back my pelt, you prick.” Ben growled, trying to fight against the magic holding him still.

“I bet you’re wondering how I know about this.” Ignoring him, he gloated as he slowly circled around Ben. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a fucking idiot! I notice things. Quite the coincidence that after a blond, green-eyed seal disappears, a blond, green-eyed newcomer shows up. And my god, you should hear what the people are saying! Word on the street is that you're a selkie. I bet you and your friends think you’re so smart, so good at keeping secrets-”

“I don’t give a damn about stroking your ego, just give me my pelt back!”

He scoffed. “Now why would I do that when I can have some fun first? After all, we were so rudely interrupted last time.”

The lustful tone in his voice sent shivers down Ben’s spine. He did not like where this was going. “I’ll shout for help-”

“Don’t be stupid. We’re all alone and it’s getting dark. There’s not a single person living within earshot of us. Yell all you want, nobody will hear you.”

“Joe will find me.”

The conviction in his voice made Singer laugh. “You mean the guy moping on the couch after you broke his poor heart? That Joe? You really think he cares that much about you?”

Ben shook his head in denial as his doubts came back in full force.

“Kiss me.” Singer ordered, wanting to test out the extent of his newfound powers. “And don’t even think about trying to get your pelt back!”

Ben balked when their lips touched, disgusted by the feeling of wrongness as Singer held him tightly and forced a tongue through his pressed lips. A sob bubbled it’s way up his throat in a frustrated bout of anger and helplessness. No matter how hard he fought, he just couldn’t break free of his pelt’s control.

Hungrily, Singer licked his way around the inside of Ben’s mouth. When he had his fill of the kiss, he gripped the pelt tightly and carded his fingers through the selkie’s hair as he gleefully made his next order. “You’re coming home to live with me for the rest of your life. Got it? You’ll be serving me from now on.”

At this command, Ben broke down. “No! Please don’t do this! Please don’t take me inland! I can’t- I can’t survive without the ocean. Please!” He begged for mercy from his cruel new captor.

Singer snarled as he lost his patience. “Shut up!” 

The selkie’s mouth snapped shut but his tears continued to flow and his body shook with the strength of his sobs.

“Now sit.”

Ben dropped to the ground, eyes beginning to dim as hopelessness engulfed him.

“Good boy!” Singer smiled appraisingly, patting the selkie’s head as if he were petting a particularly obedient dog. _ A collar would look splendid on him. _

Arousal pooled in his belly at the thought. Singer didn’t bother removing his clothes, he just shoved down the front of his pants to reveal his growing erection. He cupped Ben’s chin, tracing the curve of the selkie’s lips with his thumb. “Now be a good boy and open that pretty little mouth for me.”

Tears rolled down Ben’s cheeks in fat droplets as the man abused his mouth and throat. He choked whenever Singer thrusted too deep, and gagged at the bitter tang of precum on his tongue. Then suddenly, Singer stopped and pulled away.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot!” He chuckled to himself, watching Ben double-over coughing. “Take off your clothes then get on your hands and knees. I want to be the first one to enjoy you.”

There was just no fighting the magic that forced him to obey. Ben could feel himself getting into position even as he shook his head in refusal. “Please I beg of you. Don’t do this! Please! I don’t want this.”

“Didn’t I already tell you to shut up?” He muttered as he knelt behind the selkie. Without warning, he pulled Ben close and forced himself inside the selkie, burying himself to the hilt in one stroke.

Ben screamed. It hurt. By the stars did it hurt. Then Singer started moving, slamming in and out quickly, chasing his release without a single care for the selkie beneath him. Every thrust was like a harpoon strike and Ben felt as if he was being ripped apart. He screamed and cried until his voice grew hoarse and his body gave out, leaving him in a limp heap for Singer to use. He lost track of time, but it felt like hours before the man finally stilled and left a warm liquid in his wake.

“God, that was so good!” Singer grinned as he tucked himself back into his pants and stood over Ben's sobbing form. “I can’t wait to-” 

“YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!” A voice roared. In a flash, a red-haired blur tackled Singer to the ground. Joe poured all of his rage and loathing for the man into every blow he made, relishing the feel of Singer’s bones breaking under his fury. He threw a volley of punches, not giving Singer the chance to bring his hands up to protect his face.

And he didn’t stop punching. He didn’t want to stop. Not even when the skin of his knuckles tore apart and he couldn’t tell the difference between his blood and Singer’s. Not even when Singer’s nose and cheekbones had caved in under the onslaught and the man had passed out from the pain. Not even when his lungs burned and his muscles ached.

No, he didn’t stop. Not until-

“Joe?”

His eyes flicked upwards and he froze at the sight of Ben’s pale, horrified face as the selkie stared right at him.

“Ben! I-” Joe scrambled upright, chest heaving wildly as he finally took in the damage he’d done. Singer’s face was a bloody, swollen mess and he could barely recognize the man anymore.  _ Good. He deserves it. _

_ But Ben didn’t have to see it. _ A small voice in his head spoke up, and Joe swallowed hard. “I didn’t- I mean, I did- I just-”

Ben was up as well, pelt back in his own hands, and he stared uncomprehendingly at Joe as if he’d never thought that Joe could ever do such a thing.

“Ben?” Slowly, Joe stepped over the unconscious man and moved closer to the selkie. He kept his arms outstretched in front of him as if he were approaching a skittish, wild animal, “Ben, I’m sorry you had to see that. Just- when I saw what he did - what he was doing to you - I just lost it. I got so angry. I- he hurt you, Ben! And I was too late to stop him.”

Feeling encouraged when Ben didn’t move away, Joe edged nearer until he was right in front of the selkie. Gently, he thumbed Ben’s tears away and tried to rub some warmth into the selkie’s arms. But with each passing second, his heart sank lower the longer Ben didn’t respond. “Ben, please, can you hear me? I’m sorry!”

Finally, he spoke. “How did you find me?”

Joe shook his head a little, not expecting that question. “I dunno, I just had a feeling you’d be here. After all, this is our favorite spot. And then I- I heard you.”

_ Our spot. _ Oh how those words made Ben’s heart skip a beat. Unbidden, his mind came back to that one quiet night a few weeks ago, where it was just the two of them lying side by side, watching the stars. When everything was still and peaceful. Then Joe looked at him with such fondness that the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop it.  _ “I would give you my pelt if you asked it of me.” _ It felt like a lifetime ago when he said that. And yet. Even after what he’s seen - and the violence he now knows Joe is capable of doing when pushed too far - he finds himself still holding on to the good in him.

After what Singer just put him through and what Joe did in response, Ben ought to just put his pelt back on, leave, and never come back - oil spill be damned! But as he stared into Joe’s worried eyes, he knew he was already too far gone. This creature, this man, this  _ Joe _ , had somehow wormed his way deep into his heart. He would do anything for  _ this  _ man, even if it meant never seeing the sea again. 

He took a deep breath, choice made. There was no turning back now. 

Ben held out his pelt. “Here.”

Joe froze. “What?” He felt like all the air in his lungs was punched out of him.

“Here!” He insisted, pushing the pelt at Joe’s chest. “You want me to stay with you, don’t you?”

And Joe did, there was no doubt about it. He wanted nothing more than for Ben to be with him, to love him and be loved in return, to grow old with him, to spend every waking moment by his side.

Joe took the pelt with shaking hands and stared down at it, thinking hard at what this all meant. In front of him, Ben stood there, waiting, with wide, frightened eyes, as if expecting him to start giving orders, and he felt sick at the thought. 

He was keenly aware of what this act meant. He did his research on selkies - both online and from Ben himself - and he knew that selkies treasured their pelts. They were so extremely protective of it that they’d never let anyone even so much as brush against it. Merely being allowed to  _ see  _ it was generous enough. A selkie willingly giving up their pelt - giving YOU their pelt - it was the highest act of trust a selkie could ever do. Holding a selkie’s pelt meant complete ownership of them. Any order given with their pelt in your hands must be obeyed no matter what. Joe had seen it in action first-hand when Singer took hold of Ben’s fur, and it horrified him to no end.

But he also knew that no matter how far inland or how long ago a selkie lost their pelt, they will always long for the sea, for home. And wasn’t how all Ben’s stories went? With the human hiding their pelt and moving them far away from the sea in a possessive bid to keep the selkie with them? No wonder Ben had been so angry when Gwil once moved it without him knowing.

Was that what Ben expected him to do?  _ No! I refuse. I won’t! _ Joe would rather die than hurt Ben. He would rather live the rest of his life never being able to see the selkie as long as he knew that Ben was safe and happy.

Joe took a deep breath in and took a step closer to Ben, trying to ignore the sharp stab of pain he felt in his heart when the selkie closed his eyes in defeat.

Ben’s eyes shot open when he felt the soft touch of his fur over his bare shoulders. With great care, Joe arranged the pelt over him. When he finished, he slowly slid his hands down Ben’s arms and held both hands in his own. 

“This belongs to you, Ben. I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want.” 

“But… I don’t understand.”

“What do you mean?” He asked gently.

“You said you love me right? Isn’t that what happens next? All the stories my mother would tell me… about the humans who say they love us...”

“That isn’t love, Ben. That’s being possessive, and it’s wrong.” He cupped Ben’s cheeks. “Remember what Rami said before? Real love is selfless and it’s kind. It’s in our friendships with Rami and Gwil and Lucy. It’s between me and my family, between partners like Rami and Lucy or Roger and Brian, and even Gwil and his fiance, and-”

Even in the middle of a tense moment, Ben couldn’t help but blurt out. “What’s a fiance?”

Joe laughed softly.  _ This ridiculous selkie. _ “I’ll tell you later. But what I’m trying to say right now is that I love you and I promise that I will never trap you in a life you don’t want. Like I said to Rami and Lucy before - back when we thought you were just a seal - I would never take away your freedom, not even when you’re stealing all my fish. I can promise you that. I love you too much to ask you to choose between being a seal or being a human.”

The words filled his heart with such love and joy, Ben couldn’t help but to cup Joe’s face and lean in, pressing their lips together in a fervent kiss. This time, it felt right.

When they parted, Ben looked at Joe with shining, green eyes and whispered. “I love you, too.”


	6. Can’t Smile Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Looks like we’re nearing the end of this story. Just a little epilogue left after this.
> 
> I must admit, I never expected this fic to go the route it just did, especially with chapter 5. When I first set out to write this, it was only meant to be a nice little rom-com with a hint of danger. I just had to go and project my own trauma onto a character (sorry Ben) so that I could write about them healing and being loved and being helped in a way I wish I could experience. With that change, this fic became infinitely more important to me. I know that people’s experiences and healing processes will vary, and I cannot speak for all rape victims. But I can definitely speak for myself.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who stuck through with this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Funny how some problems can end so simply, in such an anticlimactic way.

Once they had calmed down, Joe called Rami and carefully explained what happened. Then Rami told Lucy, and Lucy texted Gwil. 

Upon arriving, Gwil said, “So did  _ nobody  _ call the police yet?!” and didn’t wait for an answer. The vet had winced internally when he took in the sight of Singer’s face, and was shocked at the brutality displayed. He knew Joe could be a little loud when he was angry, but he never knew he could become this violent.  _ Remind me never to get on his bad side. _ Gwil thought as he sidestepped Singer’s groaning form.

The band was back together again, and Ben was hugged more times than he cared to count.

The police arrived not long after. They’d sent in one unit, Officers Aaron and Allen - a pair people jokingly nicknamed ‘Double A Batteries’ - who listened quietly as Ben recounted what happened to him. Fortunately, they were both well aware of the kind of person Singer was, as well as his history of attacking Ben, and swiftly arrested him. Nobody would be surprised if there was another bail-out, but even if Singer wanted to go after Ben again, they were sure he’d think twice after what Joe did to him. And at the very least, Miami would be very happy to help them keep Singer out of the village and away from Ben for as long as they lived.

Allen nudged Joe with his elbow. “He’ll need to get some testing done though. Make sure the bastard didn’t pass anything to him.” He said, talking about the selkie.

“What testing?” Ben piped up nervously.

“Just some routine stuff in the hospital, love.” Aaron gently explained as he helped Ben into his clothes. “Nothing to worry about. They’ll check if you’ve got any wounds or if you caught any diseases from Singer after he raped you. The worst you’d feel would probably be when they take some blood for the tests - just a small prick. And if everything’s fine, you’ll be free to go.”

“You should think about getting checked too, mate.” Allen looked pointedly at Joe’s hands.

“Huh, what?” Joe looked down and he suddenly became painfully aware of what he’d done. He sucked in a sharp breath when he saw all the blood covering his knuckles. “Oh, shit.”

“‘Oh shit’ is right.” He said, giving Joe a pat on the back. “You did one helluva number on ‘im. Can’t say he didn’t deserve it, though.”

With that, the two officers bade everyone goodbye and left with a battered Bryan Singer in tow.

“We should be going too.” Rami said a little too loudly, making Joe jump. The redhead had been so focused on Ben that he’d forgotten that the other three were still there. “C’mon, my car’s not too far. 

Together, Rami and Gwil supported a limping Ben over the rocky terrain, while Lucy held on to Joe’s arm as they made their way to the parked vehicle.

It was weird, Joe thought, how his wounds only began to sting during the ride to the hospital - now that he had Ben safely tucked in his arms. 

\-----

When you live in a small fishing village, news travels fast. It didn’t take long before every single person heard about Ben’s attack. And within days, the selkie began to receive gift after gift from many of them: a whole pile of get well cards, several flower bouquets, seven gift baskets, something called ‘weed brownies’ that everyone - from Gwil to Roger to Jim - refused to let him try, and - according to Joe - a… banana slicer? What’s a banana? Why does Sarina think he’d need a banana slicer?

A few even went so far as to stop by for a visit, to check on how Ben was faring. One of them was Mary, who came by a week after the attack to ask for forgiveness. Ever since she learned what happened to Ben, she’d been wracked with guilt as she hadn’t expected Singer to go that far. Ben simply gave her a tight-lipped smile and accepted her apology, understanding that she had given the information in order to protect her own husband. Joe had long since left the room, having marched upstairs when he first saw her at the door. Later, the man would confess that a small part of him was still furious and blamed her for what happened that night.

Upon Brian and Roger’s insistence, Ben  _ and  _ Joe took the next few weeks off. The former pair believed it would do them some good to rest and heal before trying to go back to help with the seals and the oil spill. Their friends, at least, did their best to keep Ben updated on the progress the seals were making.

In the meantime, Ben and Joe made the most of their little vacation. They went on long walks, exploring every nook and cranny in the village and the woods nearby. They had movie dates, hung out with their friends, and enjoyed their time together before going back to volunteering.

It looked like things were going back to normal. 

There was just one problem: sex.

\-----

Lying on his side, Ben watched as Joe tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. It seemed that Ben wasn’t the only one with bad memories. But even with the heavy thoughts marring Joe’s features, he couldn’t help but admire the man’s profile, the sharp angles of his face, the physique of his body, the softness yet strength of his muscles, the - well, everything that made up this one Joe Mazzello.

Again, he felt the warmth of arousal pooling in his groin, and Ben quietly groaned in frustration.  _ This damn human libido is going to be the death of me! I never had this kind of problem when I was a seal. _

Their night had started off so well. It began with a kiss, a small press of lips. Just enough to cement in Ben’s mind that this was real. Then the next thing he knew, they were pulling at each other’s clothes as they made their way up the stairs. Then they were on Joe’s bed and he was on his back, being pressed into the mattress by the weight of Joe’s kisses. Unbidden came the memory of that first disastrous make-out session on Joe’s couch nearly a month ago, and Ben forcefully shoved it aside in favor of the emotions being pulled out of him. Joe’s hands were warm and his fingers trailed fire. 

They moved against each other slowly, and Ben gasped as he felt like his body was being set ablaze.  _ This. I want this. _ But did Joe? He thought back on the many times he had strutted around in nothing but that cute skirt and practically begged to be mated. How many times had he denied Ben? How many times had he paled at the sight of the selkie and turned away? Did he still want Ben like that, or was he even more disgusted after-

“Please, I- take me.” He whispered against Joe’s skin, hoping for acceptance even as he feared the worst. “Make me yours. I want you.”

Joe roughly ground their hips together, making them both groan. “Fuck yes! Want you too, Ben.”

And with those words, Ben felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Suddenly, hot tears began to run down his face even though he tried to stop them from falling. 

Warm hands cradled his face. “Shit, Ben, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Joe asked, in a worried panic.

He shook his head, sniffling softly, and hurried to wipe away his tears. “It’s nothing. I’m just… relieved, I guess. I thought you didn’t want me like this anymore - after what Singer did to me. I tried to… you know. Before, I could tell that you liked me in the skirt. You liked it when I wore that. But after he attacked me the first time, you just started to hate it when I did that. And you hated it even more after he- you know.”

_ Oh. _ All the sad looks suddenly made so much sense, and Joe’s guilty heart ached at the thought that he’d been unintentionally making Ben feel rejected.

“No… no, Ben, this is my fault. I kept telling myself to wait - that I wanted our first time to be special and perfect. And I was so stupid because it took me until now to realize that it was always special. As long as it’s you and me, it’s already perfect.”

Joe gently thumbed Ben’s tears away. “And I’m sorry for making you think that I didn’t want you. I’m so sorry, Ben.”

“So do you- could we-”

“Only if you want me to.”

Ben nodded quickly. “Yes. A thousand times yes.”

“Okay, let’s try this again.”

“Yes!” He scrambled up so that they were both kneeling face-to-face, and they began to make out in earnest all over again.

Still, it had been a disaster.

Joe had gone behind him, put both hands on the blond’s hips, and pulled Ben flush against his groin. What happened next took Joe completely by surprise. 

“NO!” Ben jolted forwards, clawing at Joe’s hands with a panicked cry. He pulled away from Joe, getting as far as the opposite end of the bed before turning around. Joe was sure he would never forget the fear in Ben’s eyes, nor the way he stared right through him. Ben was looking in his direction, but at the same time it was like the selkie didn’t seem to see him at all. No, his mind was elsewhere, trapped for a moment in another time. With another person.

Then the fog dissipated and the recognition hit. Ben let out a relieved sigh as he relaxed. “Right. It’s just you.” 

“Ben?”

He shook his head, trying to hold back tears. But then his face crumpled with shame. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s alright, Ben. Hey, come here. Listen to me.” When Ben didn’t move, Joe came over instead and held the selkie tight, wishing once again that he could take all of Ben’s pain away. “Listen to me. This is not your fault.” 

“I’m sorry I can’t-” He broke off with a sob. “I want this. I really do! I just- I- he- arghhh!” 

It broke his heart to see Ben so frustrated, unable to voice out - to properly convey - what he felt. 

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, Ben. You know what? How about we just go get some sleep instead? We don’t need to do anything right now. We don’t need to have sex if you’re not ready. It’s okay. You’re okay, Ben.”

Now here they were, one man and one selkie trying in vain to forget what just happened and get some shut-eye.

Ben continued to watch Joe, and imagined a better world - one where he wasn’t broken, wasn’t traumatized by that attack. One world where they made sweet, perfect love and it was just as wonderful as the stories his human friends told him about. But as he dreamed of being mated by Joe, dread began to grow in his gut. Would it hurt? Would it feel like when Singer forced rough fingers inside of him? He remembered how Singer’s dick sat so heavily on his tongue. He remembered the nauseating lurch in his diaphragm whenever it slammed into the back of his throat. He remembered the strain on his jaw as it was stretched wide around its girth. He remembered the helplessness as he was used like some inanimate object - some toy. He remembered the agonizing spike of pain, the harpoon strike, the feeling of being ripped in half as Singer thrusted in and out and in and out - over and over until his mind fogged up and all he knew was pain, pain,  _ pain _ .

How could he forget?

And that was when the fury rolled in. How dare he? How dare he destroy what was supposed to be a good thing - a pleasurable thing - when done with the person he chose and who had chosen him in return? How dare he come along and ruin him - break him - and make him fearful? How dare that man make him feel like this? Now, he was forever changed by that experience. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would see Singer standing over him. Phantom touches were branded into his skin. Joe would touch him a certain way, and suddenly he was back there on that beach, on his knees, rocks digging into his skin, forced to comply and stay pliant against his will, completely helpless as the man took away a part of himself that he would have gladly given to the right person. To Joe. 

“I hate him.”

Joe jerked awake. “Huh? What?” He’d been half-asleep, just about to drift off when Ben spoke up.

“I said I hate him.”

It didn’t take a genius to know who the selkie was talking about. Joe quickly turned to him, raising himself up to rest his head on the palm of his hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to talk about? I hate him. He made it bad. Made it hurt. It was supposed to feel good. Like when you and I were kissing. It felt good, and- and I wanted more. And then he came along and made it horrible and whenever we’d do something that he did to me, it feels like he’s back here and I hate it.”

“Oh, Ben-” He was at a loss for words. What could he possibly say? “What- what can I do to make you feel better? If there’s anything I can do to help, then I’m all for it.”

Ben turned to him, gazing at him with watery eyes. “I want to make it good again. I wanna- I dunno, rewrite what it’s supposed to feel like.” 

“But I’m scared.” The blond whispered before ducking his head down to hide his face. But even though it was dark, Joe could tell that his tears were falling.

Instinctively, Joe reached out and gently cupped Ben’s cheeks with both hands, silently wiping the tears away. “You don’t have to be scared. Not with me.” He stared at Ben with so much conviction that the selkie found himself unable to disagree. 

“Do you trust me, Ben?”

“I do.”

There it was - two words that made Joe feel so warm and happy inside. Who knows? Maybe in the future they could- well, you know. He smiled before pulling away to switch on the lamp, bathing the room in a soft, yellow glow.

“Here.” Joe lay flat on his back and spread his legs. “You can do me instead. That way you-”

“No.”

“No?” He turned to face the selkie, a little confused.

“No.” Ben repeated again, stubbornly. “I want you to be the one- the one being inside me.”

“Are you sure? I mean- I’m okay with it either way. I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me. I’ve always… I wanted to do this with you first. But then he-” he shook his head, trying to dispel the horrid experience from his mind. “He made it bad. Made it wrong and horrible and painful. I want to make it good again. With you. In me.”

“You don’t have to do this to make me happy, Ben. I won’t think any less of you even if you never want to have sex at all.”

“I know. And I’m not. This is for me.”

After a moment, Joe nodded in understanding. “Okay then.” He jumped off the bed and rifled through his nightstand, eventually pulling out a small tube that fit in the palm of his hand

“Almost forgot about this! To start off, lube. Very important. Makes things more slippery and it comes in this neat little tube for easy access.” He took another look at the tube. It was half-empty already. “Huh. I’m running low. Need to restock soon.”

Ben snickered. “You sound like that cute fruit vendor down in the east end.”

“Rude!” Joe gasped, faking offense. “First of all, I sound nothing like Peter. Second of all, what do you mean ‘cute’?? How dare you! I thought you loved me!”

“He is cute, but you’re handsome. There’s a difference!”

“Well good! Because I’m not sharing.”

They shared a laugh. It helped a bit, helped Ben relax as he got comfortable on the bed and as Joe knelt down between his thighs. But when Joe’s fingertips brushed against his hole, his nerves came back in full force. Ben sucked in a breath and braced himself for the pain. 

But instead of pushing in, Joe pulled back, hands moving to cup Ben’s face once more. “Hey, it’s alright Ben. I’m not gonna hurt you.” 

“I know.” He huffed, berating himself for his reaction to Joe. Of course Joe wouldn’t hurt him. But... “I just- when he did it, it hurt a lot.” 

“Well he did it wrong.” Joe replied stiffly, trying to rein in his anger at Singer. At Ben’s worried look, he began to wrack his brain for ways to make things more comfortable for the selkie.

And like a lightbulb flicking on, he had an idea. “How’d you like to be the one to prep yourself? It’s your own fingers and you get to do it at your own pace. Maybe that way it won’t be as scary.”

“I… yeah I think I’d like that.” Ben nodded gratefully. 

“Okay, great! Uh- so here’s the lube.”

After handing him the tube, Joe had him generously coat his fingers in it. For a moment, Ben was mesmerized. He rubbed the pads of his fingers together, feeling how they slipped easily against each other. “Oh wow.”

“Now start off with one finger. Try, um, circling the rim with your fingertip and feel how it, uh… feels… like.”  _ Ugh I really need to work on my teaching skills. _ Joe mentally scolded himself. “And, like, when you’re okay with it, you, uh, put your finger inside. Slowly! Uh- because you don’t wanna hurt yourself.”

“Duly noted.” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing. Ben began doing as instructed, easing his now-lube-coated fingers between his legs to massage that tight ring of muscle. So far, so good. Nothing felt weird or scary. Next he pressed a finger inside, and he gasped at the odd sensation. He moved deeper, the lube easing his way in. He was sure he’d know what it would feel like to have something put inside him considering… Singer, but this was nothing like he’d expected. Soon enough, his muscles stopped clenching so much with every little movement, and he was moving his finger in and out easily.

“Good. Good. You’re doing great, Ben.” Joe praised him, making the selkie blush. “Then when you’re ready, you can use two fingers.”

Ben was thankful for the lube, which allowed him to pump his fingers in and out without any pain. It was so… odd… yet pleasant, feeling himself open up more around his fingers.

“It’s… weird.” He said, sighing softly after a few minutes of him fingering and scissoring himself. “Nice, but weird.”

Joe’s laugh was more of a quick exhale through his nose. “Yeah it’s usually like that at first. It’ll feel better soon.”

“I’ll hold your word to it.” He smirked as he tried to fit three fingers this time. This time he let out a shaky moan, eyes fluttering and head falling back into the pillow.  _ This… this is a lot. _ Who knew stretching himself open could be this enjoyable? But what really helped was that Joe was watching him so intensely. It helped, seeing how hard Joe was getting just from watching him, seeing his dick rise and fill up more and more with every stroke and moan. It turned him on so much more than his hand ever could. He pulled his fingers out with a sigh.

“Joe?”

“Hmmm?”

“When are you going to mate me?”

“You want that already?” It was earlier than he expected, but who was he to deny Ben?

He nodded. “I want you.”

Joe swallowed hard. “Alright then. Um, can you sit up? I want to try something different.” He shooed Ben away and lay where the selkie had been. 

Then he held out his hands, beckoning a confused Ben to him. “Come here.”

“I already said I don’t-”

“Straddle me. One leg on each side. I want you to be the one who controls the pace. This moves only as fast or as slow as you want it to. You’re in control now, Ben.”

The words touched him deeply, and Ben could only nod as he climbed on top of the other man. He carefully rested his weight over Joe’s pelvis and gasped when he could feel Joe’s dick right against his ass. It made him feel giddy with anticipation. He looked down at the man underneath him, taking in his light dusting of freckles across his shoulders, his strong jawline, his thin lips, his sharp nose and cheekbones, his intense honey-amber-hazel eyes, his radiant ginger hair that spilled out over the pillow.

“You look so beautiful like this.” He blurted out, blushing when Joe’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Ben-”

“You are!” He insisted as he reached back to coat Joe’s dick with lube and line himself up. “I’m so glad I let you save me from that oil spill, you beautiful, loving, kind, wonderful man.” 

They gasped at the same time when Ben began to impale himself on Joe’s cock and the head pushed past the tight ring of muscle.

Ben, especially, didn’t know what to expect or how to react. There was a little stinging, a little burn as Joe’s dick stretched him open. But it was manageable. It was nothing like the tearing pain he felt when Singer raped him, and the stark contrast shocked him. He swallowed and tried to move lower, letting gravity do most of the work. Still, everything was so overwhelming. It was nothing he’d felt before. It was intense, almost too much for him. He nearly panicked a few times, but Joe’s soft praises helped keep him calm and grounded.

While Ben was sinking down, Joe was grateful that he was lying flat with his legs straight out. If he had any leverage, he might have involuntarily thrusted up into Ben and destroyed the entire purpose of what he was doing to try and help Ben feel safe.

“Breathe, Ben. Just breathe.”

Ben gasped a wounded sound and for a moment Joe’s heart seized up with worry. He just barely stopped himself from ending the whole thing right then and there. “Ben-”

“So much… ahhh fuck, I-” He paused mid-way, shuddering as he tried to take in all these new sensations shooting up his spine. Joe’s dick hadn’t seemed that big when he first looked at it, but right now it felt massive. He wasn’t even the whole way down but he felt so full already, full of Joe, and he wasn’t sure if he could take in any more.

Joe began to caress the selkie’s strong thighs, moving his hands up and down in a soothing rhythm. “Shhh, it’s alright Ben. Stop whenever you need to, okay? Take your time. Breathe for me, buddy.”

He smiled up at the blond. Ben looked so innocent like that. Bottom lip being worried between his teeth, eyebrows furrowed, and wide, green eyes staring down at him with so much trust that it made Joe’s chest ache. The selkie nodded - an almost imperceptible motion - before letting out a slow breath.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Ben lowered himself the rest of the way down. And when he finally bottomed out, Joe couldn’t help but to let out a groan. Even with all the prep and stretching, Ben was still tight around him. Warm too. Oh so deliciously warm. Joe wanted nothing more than to fuck upwards into that lovely heat and swallow down all the lovely sounds he was sure Ben would make. Just imagining it was enough to turn him on even more. But no. No, no, no. This was Ben’s night, and he’ll be damned if he rushed the blond into something he wasn’t 100 percent comfortable with.

“Talk to me, Ben.”

“Feels- hah-” he gasped, “big. So much- in me, Joe.”

“Yeah? God, you feel so good, Ben. You feel amazing. You’re doing so well, love.”

“I- really?” He blinked in surprise - partly at the endearment, but mostly about how well he was doing.  _ All I’m doing is sitting here and trying to breathe. _

Joe’s eyes softened. “Yeah. I’m so happy you trusted me enough to do this. This- all of this. I’m so proud of you.”

“Can I- when can I move?”

“Whenever you’re ready, Ben.”

“Okay.” He answered softly before taking a deep breath to psych himself up, shifting around a bit and bracing his hands on either side of Joe’s head so that he had better leverage.

Just as slowly, Ben pushed himself up, relishing the smooth drag of Joe’s cock leaving him. Then he sank back down, this time a little faster than before. “Oh!” He let out a soft moan.  _ This definitely feels nothing like before. This feels good. _

After a few thrusts, Joe spoke up again, eager to make things even better for Ben. “Fuck you’re doing so good, Ben. You can try- try changing the angles a bit- god! When you move down, I mean. Find the one that feels best for you. There’s this thing called a prostate. It’s in your ass. Feels great when it gets rubbed. You’ll like it, I promise.”

_ Humans have that? Huh. I’ll have to remember that. _ Ben thought to himself. Outwardly, he nodded, even though he wasn’t exactly sure of what he should be doing to get this ‘angle’. “Um, okay.”

He began to experiment, with Joe encouraging him the entire time. First, he tried leaning forwards, then backwards. No obvious changes in what he was feeling. He tried leaning more to one side, then towards the other. Still nothing. Just as he was beginning to get frustrated, he made a breakthrough when he tried tilting his hips at a particular angle. This time when he lowered himself, Joe’s dick ground against a certain spot inside of him that made sparks fly inside his head. His mouth fell open and he couldn’t help the loud gasping moan he let out nor the full-bodied shiver he had.

“Good, huh Ben?”

He wholeheartedly agreed and eagerly tried again, repeating the motions to get the same results. “Ohh! Joe it’s wonderful. Feels so good! It- hahh- how is it so good!?”

Joe didn’t answer, vastly preferring to caress every inch of Ben that he could reach.

In no time at all, Ben was bouncing up and down at a quick pace. His head was thrown back, eyes closed and mouth hanging lax as he was overcome with pleasure. Lustful moans fell freely from loose lips and filled the air with heavy want. Joe gripped at the sheets, Ben’s hips, Ben’s thighs, anything to keep himself anchored - to keep himself from spilling earlier than he wanted.

“Fuck, Joe. I love this. Love you. Love your cock in me.” Ben babbled in between moans. “Want more.”

He couldn’t help the chuckle that spilled from his lips. “I can make it better. Can I- ohh fuck- can I touch you?”

“Please! Yes!”

Joe wrapped a hand around Ben’s leaking cock, giving it a few experimental tugs. Then he began stroking in earnest and timing it with the selkie’s movements, an action that had Ben’s already loud voice reaching new heights. Internally, Joe cursed. The noises Ben was making were like a siren’s call, spurring him onwards against his wishes. He wasn’t going to last much longer with all of this. “God you’re so beautiful like this. So brave and wonderful and hot. You like this Ben? Like it when I fuck you?”

“Yes! Yes Joe! Please yes it’s so good. More please! More!” He was barely holding it together, practically babbling out nonsense at this point. There was a growing pressure in his groin and he was about to burst.

As Ben came closer to climaxing, Joe could feel his walls drawing tighter around his dick. Above him, his beautiful selkie trembled and shook from the effort of keeping himself upright. 

But when Ben’s movements started to grow more erratic, his hips stuttered to a halt and he pushed Joe’s hand away. “Joe- I- I can’t. I need you, Joe. I want- fuck me, Joe! Fuck me!” He gasped, mind hanging over a precipice.

“Fuck yes!” He jerkily nodded when he understood what the selkie was trying to say. Joe grabbed Ben’s hips and roughly pulled him down on his cock. At the same time, he planted his feet on the bed and began to fuck upwards into Ben’s tight heat, driven on by Ben’s wailing cries of ‘Yes, Joe, yes!’ 

Joe couldn’t hold back any longer either. He needed to cum and he needed to do it now. “Oh fuck, Ben I’m gonna cum!”

In the end, it was the feeling of Joe arching up and spilling deep inside him that drove the selkie over the edge. Ben screamed, vision going black as he came all over Joe’s chest. Time seemed to slow down just for them, drawing out those few seconds of ecstasy into what felt like several minutes of intense pleasure.

Right after he came down from his high, Joe almost had a sheer heart attack when Ben lifelessly slumped down on top of him, nearly crushing him with his weight. “Shit! Ben are you okay? Ben? Ben!?”

It took several heart-stopping seconds before Ben moaned an affirmative into Joe’s shoulder, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “So good, Joe. Love you. I love you so much, Joe.”

“I love you too, Ben.” Joe sighed, able to relax now that he knew Ben was fine. He gently combed his fingers through Ben’s hair, helping the selkie slowly calm down.

After a while, Ben found the strength to lift himself back up to a sitting position. Suddenly, he grimaced, frowning in distaste at the drying cum on his chest. He poked at the sticky, white mess with one finger. “Ew. This part I don’t like.”

What started out as an amused snort from Joe, turned into full-bellied laughter. Trust the selkie to bring some levity to their current situation.

Until, of course, the shaking sent uncomfortable sensations up Ben’s spine. He winced, body still feeling a little oversensitive. “Ah! Joe-”

“Oh shit! Sorry, Ben!” Joe sobered up immediately. How quickly he’d forgotten that he was still inside Ben. “Right. Well, we do need to get cleaned up, but it can wait until you’re ready.”

“Yeah, sure. I don’t think I can stand just yet. My legs feel like kelp.”

\-----

The bath was a calmer affair, neither man having much energy left for another wild round. Instead, they washed each other the same way they’d done many, many times before. After Joe carefully cleaned out the cum inside of Ben, they scrubbed each other’s backs, massaged shampoo into each other’s hair, and held each other as they stood underneath the warm shower.

But as much as Joe wanted to just fall in bed and sleep the rest of the night away, Ben was less inclined to lay in the cum-stained, sweat-soaked sheets. And by the time they finished changing the bedcovers, Joe was swaying like a drunkard in rough seas.

Ben shook his head, giggling lightly at him as they finally got into a clean bed. They lay on their sides, facing each other. Only a few inches separated the two men from each other.

“I can’t believe we did that.” Ben whispered, gazing at the other man in awe. 

Joe’s face, meanwhile, contorted with worry. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

He shook his head, biting his bottom lip to keep himself from either grinning widely or crying big, fat, happy tears. “I loved it.”

With a relieved sigh, Joe relaxed into the pillows. He gazed at Ben with soft, adoring eyes. 

“Aww c’mere.” Joe raised his arms and beckoned him in for a hug. A hug that the selkie easily fell into.

“Thank you.”

For the first time in a while, Ben could sleep peacefully. For the first time in a while, Ben could finally say that he was beginning to heal.

In surrendering himself to Joe, body and soul, he had never felt so free.


	7. Epilogue: Bittersweet Symphony

It had taken nearly nine months of constant cleanup, but with some help from the government, the harbor was finally free of the oil that once left it in ruins. Soon enough, all the healthy seals, birds, and other animals that had been cooped up for so long at the wildlife rehab center could be safely released. And in a week, people would be allowed to resume fishing again. Life could slowly return to normal in the small fishing village.

For Joe, the moment had been particularly bittersweet. 

When Ben had given him the news, it felt like all the air was sucked out of him. Ben was leaving.  _ Ben was leaving him _ . After everything they’d been through, he was leaving. It was a good thing he wasn’t standing. Even seated, he felt lightheaded. His mind was in a daze, barely hearing what Ben was saying.

Since he was the only adult selkie around, Ben had decided early on that he would continue his mother’s legacy to raise the remaining pups until he either found a female mate - which was highly unlikely - or until Delilah was old enough to take his place and become the new matriarch. This meant taking them to one of the hidden selkie havens far, far away. Far from humans and the deadly reach of their machinery.

Ben had to grab Joe’s face with both hands, forcing the man to focus back and listen to him. “Joe, please, you must understand. I love you. You know I do! But I also have a duty as matriarch of this herd. All the adults are gone- my  _ mother  _ is gone, and there is no one else here to take her place as matriarch. They’re just pups! If they were only seals, they’d be fine on their own. But they are selkies. They won't survive without the herd or their matriarch. And you know it’s too dangerous for them to stay here. One oil spill was devastating enough, yet Brian and Roger are telling me those ships will be back soon and I just can’t risk another. Please, Joe. I do not make this decision lightly.”

After a heavy silence, Joe swallowed hard and his shoulders dropped in defeat. Ben’s reasoning was sound. And based on what the selkie has told him in the past, it made sense that he would become matriarch despite the fact that he was male. It also made sense that Ben couldn’t just hand over the pups to another herd. Matriarchs were incredibly protective of their own herds, and would often refuse to rear pups that belonged to another. It was up to Ben to keep their herd alive.

“How long?”

“Until Delilah reaches the age of 20.”

He sucked in a breath. “So about 15 years.” It was a hard blow, especially knowing that they wouldn’t have any means of contact the entire time Ben was gone. But at least he had a deadline. He probably would’ve died from a broken heart, thinking that Ben wouldn’t be coming back. Joe wasn’t even sure what would become of ‘them’ after 15 long years of absence, but in the end, he nodded and accepted his fate.

Ben sighed deeply, eyes closing as if pained. “I- 15 years is a long time. I won’t fault you if you find another-” 

“I won’t. I- I don’t think I  _ can _ .” Joe shook his head wildly. “I don’t think I could love anyone the way I love you, just as much as I love you. I’ll wait for you Ben. I promise.”

This time, his sigh was from relief. He pulled Joe close and they held each other, basking in the others’ warmth.

After a while, Joe spoke up. “What am I gonna tell the others?”

“They already know, and we’ve all said our goodbyes. I wanted us to be alone when I told you.”

“And you’re leaving tomorrow? Before all the fishing starts?” When Ben nodded, his shoulders sank even more. “Jesus Christ, Ben. There’s still so many things I want to say, to- to  _ do _ . And now… Jesus Christ.”

“Make love to me? One last time before I go?” 

“Anything for you.”

They slowly made their way up to Joe’s room, to the bed that they’d shared for several months. Ben rolled onto his back and Joe easily followed, crawling over the blond to kiss him soundly. Even though it was their last night together, they did not feel the need to rush. Their night was filled with slow thrusts, soft touches and lazy kisses. But when Joe slid home and emptied himself into Ben, he couldn’t help but to cry.

He sobbed into Ben’s shoulder as the selkie held him tight. “I’m going to miss you, Ben.” 

“I will miss you too.” He pressed a kiss to his lover’s temple. “I’ll come back, Joe. I swear on my pelt that I will return to you.”

“And I’ll wait for you. For as long as it takes.”

\-----

The mood that afternoon was somber. Even the weather seemed to have noticed, casting the skies in dull greys and dark clouds. Only the people closest to Ben had been allowed to see him off: Roger and Brian, John and Freddie and Jim, Rami and Lucy, Gwil, and most importantly, Joe.

After many tearful goodbyes, the selkie took one last longing look at Joe before shifting to his true form. Ben greeted his pups the same way he’d done many times before - with that adorable little nose touch - then he gathered them close and led them into the ocean. Within minutes, they were gone.

Little by little, the small crowd dispersed, heading back to their mundane human lives. All, except one. 

Joe continued to stare out into the ocean long after the selkies disappeared under the waves, long after everyone had left the beach, even long after the sun sank below the horizon. A part of him wondered when Ben would return. A more cynical part wondered  _ if  _ the selkie would return. He shook his head to clear away the negative thoughts. Of course Ben would come back. He just needed to trust in the selkie and have faith. Ben’s heart was true. He promised to come back, so that’s exactly what Joe would wait for. He’ll wait for Ben no matter how long it takes. And hopefully, when Ben returns, he’ll come home to a safer and more protected harbor.

In the meantime, there was a boat to prepare, fish to catch, and government representatives to contact.

\-----

_ Four Years Later _

Rami poked his head through the open doorway with an excited look on his face as he grinned at his best friend and future Best man. 

“Hey Joe, looks like you’ve got a visitor.”

“Oh really?” Joe quirked up an eyebrow, unamused. “You know, the joke wears out when you say that for any random seal that shows up.”

But instead, the grin on his face grew even wider. “Not this time.”

“What?”

“It’s not a random seal this time.”

At this, Joe perked up considerably, a growing hope lighting up his entire face. “Is it who I think it is?”

“See for yourself.” And in the blink of an eye, Rami’s beaming smile turned into joyful laughter as he watched Joe scramble out of his seat and nearly trip over his desk in his hurry to get out the door. He even had to jump out of Joe’s way as the redhead barreled past him and sprinted down the hall.

Gwil looked up from where he was tying down loose ropes to see Joe skidding onto the main deck. Two weeks after the government had given the go signal allowing people to start fishing again, the Welshman had announced that he and his fiance were moving into the village. And with Joe, Rami, and Lucy’s permissions, he would like to join them aboard  _ The Bohemian Rhapsody _ . Obviously, they all said yes. 

He laughed brightly at the near-manic look on Joe’s face. “Well, look who’s finally out of his room!”

“Where is he?”

Gwil put a hand on his chest, pretending to be affronted. “Oh is that how it’s going to be now? No more hellos fo-”

“Hi Gwil, how’s the wife? Good? That’s great.” He breezed through the conversation, not waiting for an answer. His mind was clearly elsewhere. “Now where is he?”

Lucy shook her head fondly. “Four years, and you’ve forgotten already? Where else do you think he would be?”

With bated breaths, Joe craned his neck to see a flash of gold appear and disappear within the net holding their catch of the day.

“Oh my god.” He breathed, and none of them could tell whether he was exasperated or overjoyed.

Rami made his way to Joe’s side and laughed softly as he tried to catch his breath. Gwil and Lucy loosened the ties holding the net closed and they all waited for the blond to make his grand entrance.

Not a moment later, Ben popped up from under the mound and Joe nearly burst into tears. It was really him. Ben was  _ here  _ and he felt like he could fly out of sheer happiness.

Ben looked up at him with large eyes, hind flippers up in the air and wagging happily, before shifting into his human form. He tied his pelt around his waist then quickly fell into Joe’s waiting arms.

The first thing Joe did was to immediately cup the selkie’s face with both hands and pull him in for a searing kiss. Finally. The last four years had dragged on like it was a century, but it all faded away the moment those bright green eyes stared back at him with the same love he had left with.

Ben groaned and kissed back with wanton abandon. He missed Joe. He missed his love, his touch, his kisses - his  _ everything _ . 

Once they both had their fill, Ben’s pelt was replaced with a warm blanket and they shared another soft kiss. Joe rested his forehead against the selkie’s and breathed him in. Ben smelled like the salty sea air, and also, unfortunately, fish.

_ Not that I would have him any other way. _

“You’re here.” Joe stared at Ben in disbelief and held the selkie tight - as if he wasn’t sure that the blond was real and he just wanted to make sure that Ben didn’t suddenly disappear. 

He chuckled, gazing at him with such tender fondness. “I’m here.”

“Holy shit. I- how? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? I thought-”

“I got Rami’s message. He told me what you did - what everyone did - to make this harbor a protected area. And now… now we selkies know that we are safe here.” Ben pulled away to send a grateful look at the man in question. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did, Rami.”

“It was a long shot.” He said with a shrug. “I’m just glad it actually worked.”

Joe left Ben’s side to throw himself at Rami and hug him tight. 

“Thank you. I- thank you so much.”

“Anything to make my best friend happy.” He said sincerely as he returned the hug with equal fervor. Then after a beat, he pulled back and added. “Now, you just need to repay me the ten bucks I spent on the bottle.”

Joe barked out a laugh. “Oh really?”

“Glass bottles aren’t cheap, Joe!”

“You can find dozens of them in a garbage dump for free!”

“What kind of heathen do you take me for? Dumpster diving? Really?”

Joe shook his head, gazing at his best friend with a fond smile in his face. Rami’s jokes never failed to lift his spirits.

“Um, not to detract from such a joyous occasion, but uh,” Gwil pointed back to the mound of herring. Another seal had suddenly made itself known. Then another. And another. And another. And another.

_ Uhhh what? _

Joe pulled away from Rami to count about nine furious little seals poking out of the fish pile. Nine unusually-colored selkie pups, and all of them glaring at Joe with a ferocious intensity.

Ben laughed at the almost-terrified look on his face. “Don’t mind them. They can be a little protective of their matriarch.” He spoke to the pups in his native selkie tongue, gently calming them down. 

“A little?” If looks could kill, Joe was sure he’d be dead a hundred times over.

“Be nice, Joe. Those are my pups you’re talking about.” He teased.

“Yes, right. Um, they were okay with you bringing them back here?”

“Turns out, I wasn’t the only one missing this place.” Ben said lovingly. He sighed, gazing at his herd of seals with pride. “My pups.  _ Our  _ pups.”

He huffed out a laugh. It seems Ben’s adoration was contagious. “Yeah… our pups.” And they did look very, very cute. That is… until the seals grew bored of glaring at him and they turned away to begin gobbling up the catch of the day. Joe yelled, aghast, and raced after the fleeing selkie pups. 

“ _ My fish! _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we have reached the end for now! AAAAAA I can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that this is over already, and after more than a year of writing. Thank you to everyone reading this and I hope you've enjoyed the ride!
> 
> But don't worry, I still have a few more stories in the works following Ben and Joe's new life together, and that it really takes a village to raise a group of mischievous selkie pups!


End file.
